7 Minutes In Heaven
by Sea-Pig-Out-Of-Water
Summary: Now Kurt's starting to get flirty and Dave is being more open about his feelings. But will his family and friends cause him to have a nervous breakdown? Sequel to Cloud 9. Rated T again for snogging and Dave's potty mouth. Kurtofsky.
1. 1 Hour To Myself

_1 Hour To Myself_

It had been a week since Kurt's soft, gentle lips had touched my cheek. But I still rubbed the spot as if it had happened seconds ago. It felt so soft and warm compared to the rest of me. It was like Kurt's kisses were magic. They were turning the frog back into the prince he used to be. _It's gonna take a hell of a lot a kisses to fix you, ya big lovesick dope, _I teased myself.

I was home alone for the night. At least one Friday was reserved each month as a date night for Mom and Dad so they could keep the burning passion of their relationship alive in ways which (at their age) what went on in the bedroom could not. I was alone in my room, lying on my _own_ bed, just stroking my cheek where the kiss had been. All of a sudden, my head shot up at the sound of an IM request popping into my inbox. I rushed over to the computer, nearly getting tangled up in my sheets, and checked to see who was online. **1 chat request. From: Kurt Elizabeth Hummel (Fancy). **

Those 7 words were the only things that had kept me sane throughout the past week.

I quickly accepted, anticipating a new message to pop up at any moment. He always wrote his message first. It was like he was telling me that he wanted to be engaged in the conversation, like he wanted to tell me something or that he wanted to listen. Like he wanted to be there for me, and vice versa. It was my security blanket with him.

**Fancy: **_**Hi Dave. How was your day?**_

He always asked that. And to be honest, besides Mr. Schuester, he was the only one I knew who wanted to know the answer.

**The Fury: **_**Suckish as usually. What about yours?**_

**Fancy: **_**Finn drove me and all my stuff home today. So I'm tired, but I'm really excited to be at McKinley on Monday!**_

**The Fury: **_**Well I'm excited too... ;)**_

**Fancy: **_**Dave, stop being so flirty! :)**_

He couldn't stand it when I said things like that, especially when I added the wink at the end. I laughed, twisting around in my chair, getting a sugar rush from just thinking about how cute he looked when he was all giggly and embarrassed.

**Fancy: **_**Have you talked to Azimio or Strando yet?**_

I sighed. _Don't ask me that dammit! I'm not in the mood! _Is what I wanted to write, but I couldn't snap at him like that, not after how well the past week had been. Or at least with Kurt. I couldn't say the same thing about how it had gone with my friends.

I could easily remember Monday. I was in an awful mood. Mostly because it was Monday and that just entails feeling sluggish and irritated. It's kind of like the PMS-y bitch of all of the days of the week. But I was also worried. Worried that someone could tell where I had been, or what I had said, or who I had seen. Like there was someone who could now see past the facade of dumb-jock puck-head bully, and they saw the really scared, worried me on the inside. So instead of putting on an even thicker mask, which I knew at this point would do nothing good, I just ignored it. I let everyone and everything slip my mind and I just walked like a mindless zombie through the entire school day.

Tuesday was different though. On Tuesday, Azimio tried to talk to me.

"Hey man, what's up?" He asked nonchalantly as I grabbed a lunch tray and started filling it up with fruits and vegetables (I knew full well that going to the gym wasn't the only thing I could do to turn into a total hunk). I just grunted, and started walking away, but he was persistent. More so than usual.

_Maybe he knows more than I think he does, _I thought with a shiver as he grabbed my shoulder, turning me around to face him.

"What the hell is goin' on?" He started, "You been actin' all whacked-out lately. Is somethin' up witchu man? Or is it just me?"

I sighed in annoyance, "Nothing's up, dude. Okay? Just leave me the fuck alone!" I stormed off across the lunchroom, taking my tray with me outside to the football field and plopping my ass down on the cold, damp bleachers. I had sat there for the rest of the school day, not even touching my food. And before I could stop it, I was crying too. Tears slipped silently down my cheeks, and I realized with all of the pressure I was bound to slip up soon. Someone was going to find it. But they couldn't. I wasn't ready...

When practice started and guys began to flood the field, I finally got my ass up off that bench and threw my entire tray into the trash. Then I drove home in silence. No radio, no chatting with my friends via bluetooth. Just a perfect, haunting quiet.

The rest of the week had resembled Monday, where Strando and Azimio left me alone. But when we passed in the hall, they gave me this look like they knew something was up, like they were on to something and wanted answers.

It scared the shit out of me.

I sigh, rubbing my forehead in frustration.

**The Fury: **_**No, I haven't. I'm waiting until I know what I want to say. **_

**Fancy: **_**Well, I guess that's alright. But when I come on Monday...**_

**The Fury: **_**You're gonna COME on Monday? ;)**_

**Fancy: **_**DAVE! You perv!**_

I burst out in laughter. Kurt was just so adorable when he was angry, even when it was only expressed to me through typed letters. Because I knew that somewhere out there, Kurt was staring at his computer screen with his arms crossed, his cheeks red, and the cutest little pout on his face.

**Fancy: **_**As I was saying, when I **__**arrive**__**, wait, no, RETURN to Mckinley on Monday, we're gonna start working out how you are going to talk to them. Okay?**_

**The Fury: **_**Fine.**_

**Fancy: **_**Bye Dave! See you on Monday!**_

**The Fury: **_**See ya, Kurt!**_

_Kurt Elizabeth Hummel has signed out. _

I swooned in delight as I waltzed across my room and plopped down on to my bed. Kurt was so romantic and cute and adorable and dreamy. I just couldn't get enough of him! And what's worse was I got all embarrassed whenever I thought about him 'cuz I would get all girly and infatuated. But it was no use ignoring it. I was madly in love with Kurt, and now that I was becoming more open (at least to myself) about my sexuality, it was easier to understand that love was the feeling infecting me.

I sighed for about the billionth time that night as I lied on my back, staring longingly at my ceiling. I reached over to my bedside table and turned on my mini-planetarium, letting the night sky flood my bedroom. Using the little star machine always helped me to imagine one of my favorite fantasies: the first time Kurt and I make love to each other. I closed my eyes slowly as it started to come back to me.

_It's a perfectly clear night. The Titans have just won an important game and Kurt had been along the sidelines, cheering for me in his tight little Cheerios uniform. Or maybe he was playing as kicker again. That would be just as hot. So anyways, after the game, Kurt gets in my truck and we follow all of the other guys up to this really sunny field and then drive up to this cliff that's like a little make-out point for teens, just like in the movies. Then Kurt and I get out and I lay a beach towel down on the grass. We just lie there for what feels like hours, talking about things, gazing up at the beautiful crescent moon and all the sparkling stars. All the other guys are around us with their girlfriends, but they don't mind me and Kurt being there. Then, Kurt and I both lean in and kiss each other passionately on the lips. Kurt smiles, but then holds his arms and shivers as the breeze gets a little too strong. I shrug off my letterman and put it on to his shoulders, pulling him closer. He seems so small in the giant jacket, and I laugh a little at how cute he looks all bundled up in it. We snuggle for a while, and when all the guys finally leave, we make love to each other under the stars. In the morning, I wake up to find Kurt wearing nothing -except my jacket. I smile warmly at him, then pick him up and carry him bridal style to the truck, buckling him into the passenger seat and beginning the slow drive back down to Lima. _

I had always told myself that's exactly how it would go. And I was positive that soon it would be even more of a possibility. During the past week, Kurt had been very nice to me. Sending kind emails and asking me how school was. He was just so kind. He cared about me in a way no one had ever cared before. And I cared about him back. It was only a matter of time before two and two came together and a relationship was born. I took a hand and used it to fan my red-hot cheeks. _Just thinking about being with him is getting me excited._ To calm myself, I let a different fantasy waft through my head, transporting me to a slightly later time in life.

_Kurt and I are in college together, in New York City, or maybe San Francisco. Just somewhere big with lots of people and lots of places and a lot more tolerance than Lima, Ohio. Anyways, we are in college together, and we are dating, and we share an apartment together. On one special night (the anniversary of us starting to date, hopefully back in high school), I take him out to his favorite restaurant and then we take a trolley ride (San Francisco only, we'll take a taxi if it's New York) back to our apartment. But instead of getting off at our place, I take him down by the water and we just stare at it. And we talk about how back in Lima we couldn't see the ocean and how beautiful it is (I assume it's nice). And that's when I get down on one knee. I tell him how I don't need things like the ocean or the city or the nice restaurants as long as I have him by my side forever. Then I pull out the box and open it, revealing a diamond engagement ring. "Kurt Elizabeth Hummel, will you marry me?" And (hopefully) he says yes and leaps into my arms and we embrace each other for what feels like a thousand years. Then we go back to the apartment and get naked, but we don't make love to each other. We just cuddle in bed and fall fast asleep in each other's arms, now engaged and soon-to-be-married-somehow (hopefully by then gay marriage will be legal in California, where a lot of gays happen to live, and then we can get married right then and there, or in New York, I guess. I keep on forgetting that I mentioned two different cities). _

I sighed longingly once more. _How could I possibly be more in love? _I asked myself, continuing to gaze up at the fake stars projected onto my ceiling. I tried searching for constellations. Not real ones, but ones from my own imagination. Symbols that mattered to me and my life. And then I found the perfect one. I traced the dots with my fingers until the stars formed the shape of a little child wrapped in a blanket. And after that, my brain went awry once more with the furthest fantasy yet.

_Kurt and I are married and have a townhouse in San Francisco (finally, I decided I liked California better). One day, I wake up and find Kurt making a phone call in the kitchen. He reminds me of a talk we had a few months ago where we considered adopting a child, and is proud to announce that we are going to visit an orphanage that day. We get dressed and drive down the curvy, steep roads until we reach a little brown church with a white steeple and a big bell inside it. I get a little nervous, but then I see a sticker on the door. The stickers says: Safe Space for the LGBT community. I smile at it. In my image of the future, some churches teach tolerance and love, unlike the ones I was raised in. Anyways, we go inside and are lead by a nun to a room full of children. All the children rush up to meet us, except for one. A little red-headed boy sits alone in a corner. At first, he tries to crawl our way, but stops when he sees the mob of kids. Kurt starts to play around with the children at our feet, but I walk towards the lonely little boy and ask him his name. He acts shy at first, but eventually tells me that his name is Marc with a 'c'. Kurt notices and asks the nun what is wrong with him. The nun says that as a baby, his parents abandoned him, and before the church found him, he was infected with polio for a short time. It didn't hurt him too much but he was already five and still couldn't walk very far. The nun also mentions how loving and affectionate he is, even when the other kids bully him. Kurt and I ask why, and she explains that she isn't sure, but that Marc has talked about how he feels towards other boys and she suspects that he is gay. Kurt and I immediately love him and take him home the next day. Years later, we are living happily ever after with Marc and he is starting to walk all by himself! And even later in life, we start to hear how he is being bullied at school, and support him to be himself. Finally, when Marc is 16, he comes home with his very first boyfriend! Kurt and I are protective, but let them have fun together. And as we see Marc and his boyfriend smiling together, we know we've been good parents._

My grin brightened as my fantasy ended. Adopting a gay boy or girl and helping them come to terms with who they were had been a dream of mine ever since I started coming to terms with myself. And I knew if I tried hard enough I could make that dream come true without Kurt. _But still... it would be nice to live with him, _I thought, smirking. Just then, I was snapped out of my trance by a buzzing on my dresser. I switched on a light, turned off the sky projection, and snatched my phone off of the bureau.

**New message. From: Scott Cooper. **

I groaned, not so eager to see what McKinley High's most dedicated bully had to say at around 8PM on a Friday night, but I opened the text anyway.

**Just spotted a couple fags at the mall. Yelled at em' real good. U wanna come hang w/ us?**

I cringed, setting the phone back down and not bothering to respond. I sat down on the edge of my bed, thinking. Hard. _What's the point of all of these fantasies? _I asked, _The only thing that's gonna happen to me when I come out is what's happening to those guys down at the mall right now. Bullying. Harassment. Hate crimes. Or worse: gay bashing. _I lied back down onto my bed, this time without the planetarium, and tried to get some sleep. But my thoughts would not rest.

Was coming out _really_ such a good idea?

* * *

**Hey everybody! So, there you go! The first chapter of the sequel to Cloud 9: 7 Minutes In Heaven. First of all: just so you know, I love New York City. It's my favorite city ever. But I just thought Dave might like California better. Also, I'm sorry that Dave's fantasies aren't the most eloquent. But I thought it would be more "Dave" if they sounded like they did. Also they are in a different tense than the rest of the story because they are Dave's thoughts, thus the need for italics. Anyways, I hope you enjoyed. Chapter Two will come eventually, but this story is longer than Cloud 9, so it might take a while. **

**~ Sea Pig**

**P.S. Review + Favorite + Alert = LOVE**

**P.P.S. All of those comments about the city and the ocean in fantasy #2 are Dave's opinions. The ocean is nice, and I've seen it before. Definitely, considering I live on an island. ;P**


	2. Only 2 Days Away

_Only 2 Days Away_

Eventually, I managed to get to sleep. But when Saturday finally arrived, I was so filled up with emotion that I needed to vent. Now a year before, I would have taken out all my anger and frustrations on a couple of glee club kids with a slushie and a locker slam. But it was Saturday, and that meant it was time to face the absolute horror which was Charlotte once more, hopefully getting out some of that raw emotion on the way. I put on my trainers, popped my headphones into my ears and began to jog towards downtown for some time at the gym. The shadows seemed darker and the streets were bare-naked with emptiness. At 5:30 AM, Lima was a ghost town. I was cautious as I made my way to the single-story building on the corner of Main Street and West Avenue, which you could tell just by the lighting was probably responsible for the consumption of most of the town's electricity. No, scratch that. It probably used half the power supplied to the entire _county_!

I made my way inside and simply flashed my membership card to Charlotte, not even making eye contact. She giggled for some reason, and all it reminded me of was her repulsive curls bouncing up and down on her head while she laughed out of her constantly congested nose. I cringed at the thought. So I turned up the volume on my ipod and tried to relax, making my way over to the boxing and wrestling equipment corner.

Like I've said before: Fitness Planet is about the biggest pride parade in Ohio. So I always brought my own gloves whenever I wanted to throw a couple punches. I imagine that there are some pretty questionable substances (white, sticky, and sometimes fresh) on a lot of that equipment. And so to stay safe (and not get any STDs), I stayed away from the public stuff and brought a duffle bag to hold my own. I slung the bag over my shoulder and plopped it down onto the mats. Then I unzipped it and pulled out my Dad's old boxing gloves that I had gotten as a birthday present about a year ago. They were nice and snug on my hands, and I liked to use them on the punching bag at the gym to exercise my arms and build reflexes. But mostly they made me feel safe. When my hands slid into those gloves, I knew I could knock a punk out if they got in my way. I didn't normally feel so empowered. It was a breathtaking way to relieve stress.

As I punched away at the bag, I sang along to the lyrics flooding through my head.

"_I want the moon and the stars_

_I want the whole nine yards_

_I want your hands on my hips_

_I want you kissing my lips_

_I want the moon and the stars_

_I want the whole nine yards_

_I take off your shirt_

_You pull up my skirt_

_But I can't wait forever, boy."_

I always figured Charlotte Sometimes was a little too girly for a guy like me to be into. But she had a cool voice, and Waves and The Both of Us was really starting to strike a chord in me. For a song about sex, it was actually pretty romantic. It was like a reminder that sex isn't just about getting turned on. It's about interacting with someone who you love, and showing them how committed you are. I knew that if things ever got that far with Kurt, that's what I'd think about. I just wanted him so badly, and I was trying to be patient with him. _But I can't wait forever, boy. _I knew that if I waited any longer to come out and be with him, all my emotions would erupt and I'd probably do something drastic and/or totally stupid.

"_And the moon and the stars_

_And the look in your eyes_

_Better find it's way, into me_

_And your skin_

_On my skin_

_The bones that we're in_

_Better slide your way into me"_

I shivered and moaned at the thought of Kurt inside me, but then I remembered that the gym was still public (no matter the time of night), and that it wasn't the best place for me to get all horny, so I took another punch and went back to training.

"_I want the moon and the stars_

_I want the whole nine yards_

_I want your hands on my waist_

_There's no need to wait._

_I want the dance of the air_

_Run your hands through my hair_

_Releasing your breath_

_As I undress_

_But I can't wait forever, boy_

_And the moon and the stars_

_And the look in your eyes_

_Better find it's way, into me_

_And your skin_

_On my skin_

_The bones that we're in_

_Better slide your way into me_

_I want the moon and the stars_

_I want the whole nine yards_

_I want your hands on my hips_

_I want you kissing my lips_

_I want the moon and the stars_

_I want the whole nine yards_

_I take off your shirt_

_You pull up my skirt_

_And the moon and the stars_

_And the look in your eyes_

_Better find it's way, into me_

_And your skin_

_On my skin_

_The bones that we're in_

_Better slide your way into me"_

Speaking of Charlottes, I took a glance back to the grotesque, love-crazed one standing behind the counter at the front of the facility. _Ugh, _I groaned, _She's ogling me again. _Obviously she knew I was staring, because she immediately averted her eyes and went back to reading her cheap tabloid and filing her wretchedly overgrown fingernails. It was almost like she was trying to be _cute_. I didn't want to pick on her or anything. I was just being realistic. But as the song continued, it somehow managed to transform thoughts of the disgusting form of a "woman" like Charlotte into the form of a beautiful young man like Kurt. The soft skin. The long, slender limbs. The flat chest. The member starting to twitch below his belt as he became aroused by something. I was so captivated by my imagination that I belted out the last of the song with all of my voice and heart and soul -and I didn't even notice.

"_And the moon and the stars_

_And the look in your eyes_

_Better find it's way, into me_

_And your skin_

_On my skin_

_The bones that we're in_

_Better slide your way into me-ee-oh-woawoah!_"

I held the last note with all of the passion within me, letting it burst out my throat and glide through the air across the room. I looked back over to Charlotte and noticed her texting again, probably to one of her friends asking whether or not she should ask another totally gay guy out on a date. I switched off my ipod, nervous that more people would start coming in to exercise. But I continued my workout. I grunted each time my gloved fist hit the punching bag, using the sounds to release some of my anger. I didn't feel safe with my homophobic mom and my lemming-like dad. I couldn't come out at school without facing backlash from the entire student body. Kurt would never love me. Each time a thought like that came into my head, I forced it out with a brutal punch. It was exhilarating, to say the least.

Eventually, the sun began rising, and as it started to get higher and higher I started getting more and more tired. And anyways, my parents would get worried if I came home from my workout late. So I decided to pack up, shower, and go home.

* * *

As I jogged closer towards the house, I noticed an extra car in the driveway. It was a little Subaru Outback with a bunch of suitcases strapped to the top. Curious, I picked up my pace. When I reached the front stoop, I got out my key and unlocked the door. "Momma, Papa, I'm home!" I called as I swung the door open, letting it hit the wall behind it with a thud.

"Honey, come in for breakfast. We have visitors," My mom happily chirped back. The smell of french toast and the sound of plates hitting the wooden dining table filled my nose and ears. I sighed happily as I made my way towards the kitchen, but froze under the archway into the room.

"Hey little bro, where ya been?" I immediately felt Brett's fist twirling around in my hair as he gave me one of his signature noogies. Then Anthony hopped up from the table and gave me a pat on the back that was more like a hard slap to the spine.

"Leave the little guy alone," William chuckled as he kissed Mom's cheek, thanking her for the delicious smelling breakfast, "And get back here so we can say grace. I'm hungry!"

These were my three older brothers in descending order: William, Brett, and Anthony.

"David, would you like to say grace?" Mother asked. I nodded and forced a smile onto my face before taking the hands of my father and William.

"Dear God," I began, "Thank you for this awesome breakfast. Normal families don't usually say grace at breakfast, but Mom's such a good cook we thought we'd thank you for her." The family chuckled a little before I continued, "Also, thank you for watching over me when I go to the gym or play sports, so I don't get hurt. In fact, thanks for watching over all of my brothers while they play too. And thank you for getting them home from college safely. Amen."

"Amen," We repeated together, before letting our hands fall so we could use them for stuffing our faces with Mom's amazing cinnamon and brown sugar french toast.

"So, I hear you've been working out lately, David?" William asked slyly, winking at me, "Is it to impress somebody you've taken a liking to?"

That was my eldest brother, William. He got a scholarship for soccer and played goalie for his school's team. He held a school record for most blocks and was very popular, always getting asked out on dates. He was also very smart and handsome. He was probably my favorite brother.

"Nah," I answered him, "I just figured that I should start exercising more and eat healthier foods, you know, to keep up my game and all."

"Well that french toast you're eating is gonna set ya back a long way," Mom teased, poking me in the arm before returning her attention to her own plate.

"Speaking of Dave's love life," Brett began teasingly, "When was the last time little Davey over here had a girlfriend?" A frown came to my face and I let my head fall a bit.

"David has been dealing with a bullying problem that has set his grades back. So, like any good son, he's focusing on his studying rather than on girls," Papa shot back. I was honestly a little shocked at the notion of Dad wanting to defend me. It was almost like he knew how cornered the question had made me feel, like he knew I couldn't answer honestly without spilling my secret. _My secret! _I gasped to myself, _Does he know? I god, he does, doesn't he! _"And anyways," He added, "Dave is a perfectly handsome young man who is on the football _and_ hockey teams. I'm sure he'll find a nice girl before Prom swings around."

I sighed in relief. After hearing the end of his little speech, I knew for a fact he was clueless.

"Well I guess that's okay," Anthony began with a smirk, "It took me a whole _five minutes_ to find a girl who'd take me to Prom." He and Brett burst into laughter, while William chuckled a little and Mom smiled at the playful brotherly banter.

The two douches who had spoken after William were named Brett and Anthony, and they were my _other_ older brothers. Brett was his school's quarterback, and Anthony played center on his school's basketball team. They were both very successful players (in both meanings of the word), and were very popular overall. And as you can imagine, they were _not_ my favorite brothers.

"Hey guys, cool it a little, okay?" I smiled at the two, trying to get them to shut the hell up and eat their food. But they just would. Not. STOP.

"No way Davie," Brett grinned, "You're an easy target 'cuz your so little and thick-headed."

Anthony snorted to keep milk from coming out his nose, "Yeah, and you're not much to look at either. _We_ took all the pretty genes before you could get your pudgy little hands on em'."

"And did we mention you could loose a little weight, too?" Brett added, "At least your membership to the fag-fest-of-a-gym downtown isn't a _total_ waste!" Anthony doubled over in laughter as Brett began shouting, "Dave is a fatty! Dave is a fatty!" like we were back on the playground in grade school and he was the big 4th grader taunting me.

"Yeah," Anthony sighed, "Sorry little bro, but it's true."

"Uh huh," Brett remarked, "You'll have to start working harder if you wanna live up to the family name." During the tirade of taunts, William had remained silent. _Does he even want to listen to me anymore? _I asked myself, sniffling up a stray tear, _He probably doesn't think that he's worthy. _

The teasing had been going on for as long as I could remember. When we were little kids, I always got everything last. I usually only wore hand-me-downs. I never got new toys are books or games. And I was always the last in line to get things, like Dad's old TV or Mom's massage chair. By the time they reached me, they were garbage. My brothers always had it so good. They had no idea what it was like to go so unnoticed and unappreciated for so long. _Do they even love me? _I shivered at the thought, trying to remember the last time any of them had honestly said "I love you" to me. Unfortunately, I came up with nothing. Sighing in defeat, I went back to picking at my plate. But Dad wouldn't let my anguish go unnoticed, proving to me he wasn't totally oblivious.

"Now now boys," He said sternly, "Don't tease your brother like that. He misses you all so much when you're away at school. Can't you be nice to him just once?-"

"Oh come on, dear," Mom interrupted, "Let the boys have their fun. They've always been this way. Isn't it so nostalgic to have them playing around with each other again?"

"But Lisa," My Dad groaned. Then Mom sent him this look that always shut him up and he did just that, returning his attention to the rest of the food on his plate.

_That's it, _I thought, _I can't handle this anymore. _I picked up my plate and placed it gently down in the sink. Then I pushed in my chair and ran up to my room, not even asking to be excused from the table.

Dashing up the stairs, I stormed into my bedroom, slamming the door shut behind me. I just couldn't stand my stupid fucking family! Nobody liked me, and the only one who wanted to help me was too scared of his own wife to say something! I grunted as I pushed my desk chair backwards, taking a seat and logging on to chat. I immediately checked Kurt's status. **Kurt Elizabeth Hummel. Status: **_Offline. _

"Dammit!" I screamed, pounding both my fists down beside my keyboard. I held my head in frustration, stumbling onto my bed in the process. I was so fucking angry... "I JUST CAN'T TAKE THIS SHIT ANYMORE!" I quickly placed a hand over my mouth after yelling so loudly. Luckily, Mom didn't burst into my room and spank me for cussing. But someone did come upstairs a few seconds afterwards.

When he opened the door, I flinched, but calmed down a little after seeing his relaxing expression. "Hey squirt," He laughed, using his big brown eyes, "Wanna come play football catch with me and Brett and Anthony out in the yard? Y'know, like the good old days."

"Uh, okay William," I blubbered, making sure to close my laptop as we exited the room together.

* * *

"Hey Anthony, pass the ball!" Brett shouted. Even for a basketball player, Anthony expertly passed the football towards his quarterback brother, who easily caught it without even trying.

"Hey Wilbur, catch!" Brett chuckled, tossing the pigskin to William.

"Stop calling me that, little bro!" William happily retorted, "So not cool, man! Okay, Anthony, back to you." Anthony stumbled a bit with his footing, but caught the ball with expert precision.

"Alright Davie," He called to me, "You're up next!" I started to sweat a little as Anthony gave me a nice soft toss. I knew I had to catch it, otherwise they would never stop treating me like a baby. I wanted them to respect me, but I was just too nervous. My palms were sweaty and my vision was clouded. The ball collided with my stomach and I tried to keep a hold on it, but my hands just weren't cooperating. The ball slid out of the sticky cocoon of perspiration and hairy arms I had formed, and it dropped right on the grass at my feet.

"WEAK!" Anthony shot at me, "That catch was so weak, Davie! You play like a girl!"

"Sorry," I mumbled, "I play right guard. I don't do much catching, I just-"

"Throw your weight around?" Anthony smirked, pulling out another fat joke. But Brett, _he_ was the one who took it too far.

"C'mon Davie. Some guys_ throw_ like fags -and they're bad enough as it is-, but you're so bad you even _catch_ like one! Dude, you're pathetic!" He and Anthony broke down into a fit of laughter, putting out more gay jokes than I ever wanted to hear. Ever. But after the first comment, my brain turned to mush and my ears filled with static. So I couldn't really hear the rest, but I knew they were out there, and they were stinging me like yellow jackets. I mumbled a sentence that even _I_ didn't hear -probably something about going inside to check my stomach- and slowly made my way towards the screen door. For an instant, I turned to face Dad, who had been sitting in an old lawn chair watching the ordeal unfold. He looked slightly concerned, but didn't say anything. He didn't even try to face me or look me in the eyes. He just kept watching. William was also observing, using a slight chuckle to cover up how obviously awkward he was feeling. But then Momma stepped outside and we all froze.

"Don't you boys be using that language on my lawn!" She shouted. It was like thunder was coming out of her mouth, "Those fags are children of the devil! They worship satan and follow his every command! Now I didn't raise my kids to talk of demons on _my_ lawn, did I?"

"No ma," We all muttered in unison, hanging our heads in shame. She just huffed, ruffling her sundress' skirt as she whipped the door closed behind her. William, Anthony, and Brett continued to play catch, but I needed some time alone. So I headed upstairs, Dad still looking awfully concerned.

* * *

It was 6:30 when I decided to get ready for Monday's inevitable events. I turned down my invitation to dinner, and stayed up in my room, hardly in any mood to eat anyways.

After the awful game of catch earlier, I had found Kurt to be online and he assured me that I would have a place with him whether or not my brothers and my parents were accepting of me. He told me that I needed to focus on coming out and to practice telling myself that I'm gay in my bathroom mirror.

And so there I was. Dave Karofsky: one of the biggest, baddest, meanest guys at school. And I was literally afraid of my own reflection. But I knew I had to do it. I had to say it to myself or I'd never be brave enough to say it to other people.

I took a deep breath, looked myself right in the eyes and said it, "I'm... I'm... I'm..." _This is it Dave, you can do it, _"I'm... g-g-gay." Finally, it was over with! And I couldn't believe my ears! I had finally done it. I had literally come out to myself, and it felt like a boulder had just been taken off my back.

Even over the three months or so since Kurt had departed, where I started to accept who I was, I could never say out-loud that I was gay. Never ever. And now, I had, and it felt so good that I couldn't get enough of it!

"Hey there Azimio, I'm gay! Hey there Scott Cooper, I'm gay! Hey there Coach Bieste, I'm gay! Hey there William, I'm-" At that moment, when I saw him beside me in the reflection, just holding a plate of dinner, eyes wide in shock, my entire world _froze_. But it had to start moving eventually, and the first things to defrost themselves were my eyes. I could feel them starting to twitch and well up with tears, and then those tears began to stream down my face. But my body was still frozen, so I didn't go to wipe them. I took deep, labored breaths just to stay concious. A shiver ran up my spine, freezing me even more. Then William moved.

"Oh Davie," He said quietly, softly, pitying how upset I was. And that's when the waterworks started. I couldn't control them anymore. They ran all down my face and neck, some even escaping down the collar of my shirt. I was crying like a baby, a pathetic little baby. William then came over to me and wrapped me in an embrace. "Can you finish what you were going to say to me?" He pleaded slowly, seemingly asking a simple request. I whimpered and shook my head 'no'. "Alright then," He soothed, "Can you finish it for me later?"

"Okay," I sobbed meekly as he led me out of my bathroom and sat me down onto my sheets, still holding his tight grip on my shoulder. When he finally let go, he placed his hand on mine and looked me straight in the eyes.

"Are you gay, Dave?" He asked affectionately. I just nodded in response. He took his hand and started rubbing circles into my back like he did when we were little to make me stop crying. My tears ceased for a moment, and my eyes finally cleared enough to see the warm grin on his face. "I've met a lot of people at college. But one of my best friends is a girl named Coleen. At first she was hesitant to get to know me, but eventually she introduced me to her girlfriend, Amber, and I was very accepting towards her. I've met a lot of other gay people at college too, and they're really nice folk."

"Please don't tell anyone!" I retorted. I wasn't sure why, though. William was being so nice and I was about to mess it all up!

"Don't worry, little bro," He chuckled, "I won't tell a soul. A lot of my gay friends, Coleen especially, say that it took them a long time to be comfortable coming out, and I understand why you wouldn't want people to know your secret, but you can't hide in the closet forever."

"I know," I sighed frustratedly, "But my friend Kurt is going to help me come out at school on Monday."

"That's neat kiddo," William said, patting me on the shoulder, but then he got that smirk on his face. "_Friend_ you say? What kind of _friend_?"

"He's my gay friend, okay!" I shot back, balling my fists, "So what if I like him a little bit?"

"Awe, forget it kid. I won't bug you about it." I released my hands, relaxing a bit. "Or at least I'll save the interrogation for tomorrow. The best of luck to you!" He clapped me on the shoulder and I smiled at his antics. Then he put my dinner in my lap, instructing me to eat it without being so self-concious about my weight. As he left the room, I felt lighter. My breaths flowed more naturally.

_Well that was a weight off my chest. But what am I gonna do about tomorrow?

* * *

_

**Chapter two is complete! Who here knows about Charlotte Sometimes? I'm not completely obsessed or anything. I was just stuck on a song for Dave to sing while he was working out and I randomly listened to Waves And The Both Of Us and I thought it could connect. Go search for her music on YouTube. I also suggest How I Could Just Kill A Man. I know that those are her two hits, but they are hits for a reason. They are awesome!**

**(Prepare for the next two paragraphs to be a "life" lesson, especially the second one). **

**Also, I know a lot of people are against big OC families, and sometimes I'm included, but I needed to make a family so that Dave could develop because of them. And you'll notice that one thing this story does not have is a female character supporting Dave and what-not (or at least not yet, but probably not). I've noticed that whenever someone tries to make a good female OC, they make the person wildly unentertaining, uninteresting, and way too confusing to figure out, (and also uncharacteristically popular) probably because a lot of female OCs are based too much off the writers themselves and their dream persona of a mysterious loner with a dark past, but who is also a perfect singer and is loved by all the main characters/treated like some sort of goddess by them. That's nice and all, but considering Dave is a manly man and a guys guy and what not, I think that it would be more comforting for him to actually have another MALE that he could talk to instead of some weird female character that I and a lot of other people will end up hating as soon as they read that she's there. Few, that was an exhausting rant to type. Anyways, FEMALE OC's: MAKE EM' BETTER NEXT TIME! **

**P.S. Here's another tip: Don't make your OC the total hero of the story in a fan fic. Unless your story is completely driven by OC characters (which makes the story much harder to write, in my opinion), let the actual characters save the day. Placing an OC in the story to drastically change the dynamic is really hard to do, especially when they become a hero. Tone them down a little. Fan fics are about making the characters that were already created change and develop, just like any other story would make it's main protagonist (or sometimes it's antagonist) be the one who changes and develops over the course of the story. Just because you're unpopular and have no friends doesn't mean you should write a story where you're with a bunch of nerdy characters and you save the day somehow. Trust me, we're all slightly friendless and definitely unpopular in some way. We've all been there, but journaling is probably a better option than writing a fanfic where fictional you is some sort of mini-goddess. **

**reviews + alerts + favoriting = LESS RANTS!**

**~ Sea Pig**

**(btw: I'll try and think of a contest for next chapter) :D**

**P.P.S. SORRY IF SONG LYRICS ANNOY YOU! I know that a lot of people (including me) skip the lyrics. Go right ahead, I guess, I mean you probably read the chapter already. But still, SORRY! I will bitch-slap myself in shame: :P  
**


	3. 30 Minutes In Hell

_30 Minutes In Hell_

On Monday morning, I managed to make it through approximately 33 minutes and 48 seconds of school before I was basically _forced_ off campus.

On Sunday evening, Kurt and I had IM'd each other until our utterly simple and nearly flawless plan had been formulated. When Monday morning came around, Kurt and I would meet in the north parking lot, which was always a wasteland due to the fact that it happened to make a good spot for cornering those who were on the "Pee-Balloon Victim List". At first, I was a bit hesitant, but Kurt assured me that we wouldn't be ambushed with any liquified breakfast. Even through simple text, the way he spoke to me was so relaxing. Anyhow, after meeting up with each other, Kurt and I would walk together towards the main entrance. As we made our way into the building, we were to join hands with each other, and he would start walking with me to my first period Economics class. A tingling sensation ran up my spine when he first told me we would be _holding hands_. _With each other. In a slightly sensual way. Well, maybe not sensual __**him**__. _Kurt had been clear that we were to execute "_strictly friends_ hand-holding." Because not all gay guys wanted to make a firework all over each other's faces. Some just wanted to be buddies. Even so, I could hardly keep my eyes shut Sunday night at how exhilarated I felt. The last part of the plan was to be the hardest, but also the most rewarding. Whenever someone queried us on why we were suddenly walking down the halls hand in hand with each other, I was to proudly announce, "I'm gay," and then continue to walk down the hall with Kurt in tow and with my head held high.

The plan had _seemed_ nearly perfect, in a way. But boy, were we in for a surprise.

* * *

"So, are you ready for this Dave?" Kurt asked, gripping the flaps of his cherry red, gender-ambiguous, corduroy peacoat as the wind picked up and whipped his hair up into tiny little knots, "This is your big moment to show 'em all what you're made of."

"Ready as I'll ever be," I joked, slightly more to myself than to him. In reality, I was completely terrified, but it wasn't like I could turn back at that point. Kurt would have been completely disappointed in me and I might have lost one of my only friends. I had to just suck it up and be brave. Brave like how Brett kept running when he had a dozen guys on his tail trying to tackle him. Brave like when Anthony went to get a rebound while a 6-foot-9 giant from the other team was trying to dunk. Brave like when William took a flying soccer ball to the forehead to keep it from getting into the goal. _Yeah, I like that last one, _I thought, _William's probably the braver than the rest of us brothers combined and then doubled! _I took a nice deep breath, then turned and looked straight into Kurt's eyes for inspiration. "Let's do this," I nodded to him. He smiled and his eyes lit up like ice on fire. It was stunning. _He_ was stunning.

I wanted him. But I had to come out first.

When we finally reached the main doors, we took a minute to prepare ourselves. Then it was time. Kurt clutched my hand, and I immediately wanted to swipe it back as my palms started to sweat. But he did not let go, and as I pushed open the glass doors into the halls of Mckinley High, his grip became tighter. _Right foot. Left foot. Right foot. Left foot. Right. Left. Right. Left. Yeah, you're gettin' the hang of this Dave. You're actually doing it! _A big goofy grin burst onto my face as it finally hit me that this was it. People were staring at us from every angle, gossiping about possible explanations for why Kurt and I would be together. But I didn't care. Neither did Kurt. I was coming out of the closet to my school. I wouldn't have to hide anymore. I was finally free of my cage.

I turned to Kurt and smiled really wide to share my excitement with him. The way he kept his head facing opposite me made me feel like he needed it. But when he turned to me, he wasn't blushing because he was embarrassed by my presence. His blush was dainty, and pink, and made his cheeks look like slightly bruised peaches. _Does he __**like**__ me?_

Unfortunately, I didn't have time to get any sort of answer. Because just as we were turning the corner that would lead us to morning Economics... BAM! SPLASH! SPLOOSH! It was all over in a millisecond. The blush. The hands. And it had ruined Kurt's pretty little red jacket. I quickly wiped the blue from my eyes to identify the punk who had assaulted us, and clenched my fists immediately after seeing his face.

"Hey Dave," Scott Cooper smirked, "You hear about those fags at the mall? Well, rumor has it they're starting to show up in pairs at McKinley High too."

"Originally these were for that loud-mouthed dingleberry girl," Added another random hockey player who I was too enraged by to remember, "But when we saw how publicly perverse you two were being, we decided to step in and enforce the status quo around here."

As they headed towards whatever classes they had next, Kurt and I stood still, shivering with how cold and awful those blue slushies really were.

"C'mon, lets go clean ourselves off," He wheezed, dragging me towards the locker room to freshen up before first period started.

* * *

I tingled as he gently brought the warm, wet cloth across my face, trying to make it a little less sticky. _Oooooo, sticky. No, bad Dave. Stop being so dirty. _I flinched as the fabric danced over my dry, cracked winter-lips. And Kurt seemed to notice. Otherwise, I wasn't quite sure why he would proceed to dab my face effortlessly and put the hand towel down on to the bench. Kurt's eyes turned their attention to the floor. He hadn't washed up yet, and I was starting to get a little worried.

"Kurt," I started softly, "Are you okay?" He sniffed a little and nodded, still not making eye contact. _Maybe he's embarrassed that he couldn't protect me. _I put a hand on my shoulder and tried to give him my warmest smile. "It's okay little guy, you didn't have to go out of your way to protect me. I'll be just fine on my own," I assured him. He relaxed a little bit, and I was relieved, but not for long.

Little did I know, we were about to be interrupted.

The door swung open and a thunderous stampede of sneakers hitting tile neared us. Kurt and I walked past the lockers concealing whoever had come inside, and we were frozen again. The football team seemed to be collectively snarling at us. Kurt stumbled back a little, and so I outstretched my arm across his chest and looked them all in the eyes. "What do_ you_ want?"

"We want you two out!" Said one guy. "Yeah, get the hell out of our locker room, you peeping faggots," Shouted another. Soon, the whole room was ablaze with demands for us to leave. Apparently, most of the football team had heard about our little hand-holding stunt. And they weren't very pleased.

"Fine," I finally managed to spit out. Kurt nodded, his head hanging even lower than before, and as I left the room with him, I scanned the teammates in the mob. Not a single Glee Club member was present. And Azimio and Strando? No where to be found. _Where the hell could those two be? _

Standing outside, I looked at Kurt again. The blue slushie was starting to dry, and I could see the goosebumps on his neck had not shrunk. "Are you alright?" I asked slowly, "Do you want me to take you to another bathroom? Get you cleaned up, maybe?"

"Nah, I'm fine," Kurt sighed, almost as if it were in defeat, "Anyways, you'll be late for class." And he shoved me off towards the Economics room before stomping in the other direction. _Wow, I had no idea how much those slushies got the guy down, _I thought as I made my way into Mr. Thames's classroom, _I wish I knew what was __**really**__ going on inside his head, though._

I carefully chose my seat in the back of the room -I didn't want to attract too much attention after my stunt in the hallway- and the classroom began to fill. Two girls walked in, with big Snooki hair and hooker makeup, and we made eye contact with each other. They immediately started whispering, and I could see the blond one pointing a little bit in my direction. Then they took their seats in the middle of the room and took peeks backwards to look at me, continuing to whisper as they did. I could tell by how their tongues kept thrashing like that of a snake that their murmurs were not positive. As the classroom finally began to fill up with the rest of the students, more whispering started. Eventually, the whole room was talking about me in some way. And then the snickers began. Two boys near the back window just couldn't stop hissing and giggling. I looked down at my feet and saw a note crumpled up on the ground. I was slightly wary about picking it up, though I did so anyways. But I still don't know why I opened it.

_**Fag. **_

This was all it read. Immediately after the words hit me, the paper felt like fire, and I had to drop it on the desk in order not to feel burnt by its presence in my hand.

"Good morning everyone," Mr. Thames greeted in his jolly tone. For a subject as boring as Economics, Mr. Thames always seemed to be a bit_ too_ excited about it, "Today we will begin writing our essays on the stimulus package President Obama used to help balance the economy several years ago..." As his words began turning to mush, much like they always did, my ears pricked up at the sound of more whispering. It was louder, and their disgusted faces were more visible. They were obviously saying more, but all I could hear were the vicious taunts. "Faggot." "Queer" "Homo." I shivered as the sound of their hatred bounced across the room and into my ears. Then, something else bounced against my desk. Another paper note, this one a tad bit more eloquent than the last.

_**Go to hell, cock-sucker. **_

_What a literary masterpiece, _I groaned to myself, trying to keep the tears from falling with a little sarcasm. But the notes just kept coming and coming, and there wasn't enough sarcasm in me to keep all of the terrible words at bay.

_**Go be a homo somewhere else!**_

_**Get a room, fag.**_

_**Just thinking about what you guys do together makes me sick to my stomach.**_

_**You're on your way to hell, queer. **_

_**I wish you'd die!**_

As the notes slowly began to pile up, I felt as if they were drowning me. Then, SPLAT! A spitball came flying at me from across the room and landed right on my forearm. Then another. And then another. The last one to land came a bit too close to my eye, so I raised my hand to get Mr. Thames's attention.

"Excuse me, sir," I mumbled nervously.

"Yes David?" He answered. "May I go to the nurse? I feel sick to my stomach."

"Alright David, go ahead."

As I slipped out of the classroom, I caught a few more slurs. They stuck to me like those spitballs as I made my way to the nurse's office -wet, gross, and annoying, with a slight sting from the quick contact they make to your skin.

* * *

"Well, you seem just fine, David," Nurse MacKenzie assured me as she lifted the thermometer up from my forehead, "But since you have only been absent twice this semester, you can call for someone to pick you up if you really don't feel well."

"Thank you, Miss," I sighed. I pulled my legs up and held them, placing my chin in between my knees. I reached into my pocket and dialed the perfect number.

"_Hey, baby bro, what's up?"_ Came the relaxing voice through the phone.

I took a deep breath before responding, "Hey William. Can you come pick me up from school? I'm not feeling so well.

"_Of course, little guy. Meet me outside the main entrance in a few minutes. But what about your car?"_

"We can come pick it up later."

"_Alright then. See you in a bit." _The tone signaling that William had hung up flooded my ear. I stuffed the phone back into my pocket and headed to my locker to collect my things.

* * *

"What are you doing?" The voice seemed to come out of nowhere. I stuffed my last book into my backpack and shut my locker.

"Kurt, is that you?" I asked. He turned the corner and came right up to me. He was frowning.

"Where the hell are you going, Dave? I thought we agreed we'd try a whole day!" He snapped at me. I flinched a little bit, but then came back for my rebuttal.

"I'm not feeling too well, alright! Just get off my fucking back already!" My tone was so angry, it was almost foreign to me at that point. But apparently I was still a bit of a bully, way deep down on the inside.

"No, that's not it," He told me, "I know you can handle it Dave. It's just a day."

"NO I CAN'T!" I shot back, shoving him a little bit, "And don't you start acting like the brave one, Kurt. I saw how you acted after we got slushied. You were so upset, YOU COULDN'T EVEN FUCKING _TALK_ FOR CHRISTS SAKE!" Silence. I was wheezing from all the yelling I had done. Kurt's head was down again. When he picked it back up, he looked just like my father had after I had gotten expelled.

"I'm disappointed in you, Karofsky. I thought you were stronger than this. And to think I actually got a little embarrassed when we were holding hands this morning," I flinched a bit, about to be stung with his words. "Well, you know what, _Karofsky_? I take it all back. The way you were protecting me before was fake. You may be able to stand up to the guys you know, but you can't even take criticism from complete strangers, can you. I don't like you the way I did half an hour ago. And it'll take a lot of convincing to make me feel like that again." As he strutted off back to where he came, I slid down to the tile.

_What have I gotten myself into?

* * *

_

**Hey everyone! Finally, I have a contest for you! In the beginning, when Dave mentions how "not all gay guys want to make a firework all over each other's faces," which famous YouTube user has said this before? I'll give you a hint: it's a he. And he does talk about Glee sometimes. In fact, the quote has something to do with what he said about Kurt and Blaine! Oh, I'm giving away too much. The winner gets a digital chibi cookie of CHARLOTTE! RAWR! I'm not sure why I picked her, because she's kind of gross, so I suspect she won't make a very good cookie. '-_-**

**Also, I feel SO bad about all of the awful slurs I had to come up with in this chapter. It feels funny when I type them, almost like when I make Dave swear. But at least when he drops an F-bomb it's not personally offensive to anybody. SORRY ABOUT ALL THE NASTY WORDS! (They were almost as nasty as the grease in Charlotte's hair). **

**And another thing. MY DAVE AND REAL CANON KURT WERE TOTALLY MEANT TO BE! PLUS, BURT WILL LOVE HIM! Remember in Sexy when Burt gave Kurt the talk? All the things Burt said are exactly what Dave thinks! IN MY WORLD, THEY ARE PERFECT FOR EACH OTHER! MWUHAHAHAHA!**

**Anyhoo, you know the whole equation thingy. **

**reviews + favorite + alert = LOVE**

**~ Sea Pig**

**P.S. I may re-write this chapter later. I'm not really happy with the ending, but I want to focus on finishing the story.**


	4. 4 Seconds Is All It Takes

_4 Seconds Is All It Takes_

After the disastrous event which was my first out-day at McKinley, I was ready to just melt through Tuesday like I had been doing for the whole week before Kurt had showed up. And like every Tuesday before Kurt had showed up, I took a trip down Main Street at 5AM and threw some punches at the gym. The way my gloves encased my fists made me feel safe and confident. But I couldn't wear them with me to school, so I had to gain my confidence before then.

Even though William had retrieved my car for me, I decided to walk to school. _If I take it with me, it'll probably get vandalized or something. _I took a shortcut from my house so I wouldn't be late. _Hopefully I won't get ambushed. _I used a back entrance to get to my first Tuesday class: Spanish. _Nobody takes this way. There won't be any slushie-throwers waiting for me. _When I arrived in Mr. Schue's classroom, I was right on time.

"Hey there David," Mr. Schue greeted me, patting me on the back, "Take a seat." _Of course. Mr. Schue is treating me like everything is normal when my life is really a mess! _I sighed, taking a seat in the front of the classroom. I kept my head low as the final students entered. I knew they were all looking at me. It didn't matter whether they were glaring, staring, gazing, taunting, rolling their eyes. They were all thinking the same thing:

that I was a freak.

As the day progressed I became more and more translucent. I was no longer the biggest bully at McKinley. I tried blending in to the faceless crowds, but I was still isolated. I _wanted_ to try and use my gloves and be confident. But then I started getting comfortable on my own, just passing through the crowds, not really concious of anybody else. And by the end of the day, I was wrapped in a cloak of cellophane. Everyone knew I was gay. Everyone. I figured that if _I_ didn't care, neither would they. And I was nearly right, too.

* * *

By the end of the day, I completely stopped giving a shit. I was done. Through. I didn't care if everyone forgot I existed. It would have been easier that way, anyways. I walked to hockey practice with my head down and my eyes shrouded. When I pushed open the locker room door, the first thing I noticed was that the entire room was empty. "Where the hell is everybody?" I asked. I searched with my eyes for any sign of my teammates. All I found was my duffle bag. It was sitting on one of the wooden benches, fully packed with all of the things from my locker. Placed on top was my dirty little secret. Stepping slowly, I picked up the dainty little photograph. "Kurt," I muttered, running my thumb across his pixilated face. I had cut out the picture from a cheerleading magazine that was in the library. He was at Nationals with Sue, and his grin was so big it lit up the whole picture. I just loved the way he looked in that tight little uniform. But then I snapped out of it and realized the truth. _They're kicking me out. _

All of a sudden, _they_ emerged. Scott Cooper and the rest of the team, that is. They came out from behind a large row of lockers, arms crossed over their chests and cocky smirks on all of their faces.

"I see the little fag found his bag," Scott hissed. My teammates laughed with him.

"What the hell are you doing?" I shouted, "You can't kick me off the team! Only the coach can!"

Scott stepped forward and got in my face a little more, about to make a point, "Well you know _WHAT_?" He shoved the bag at my torso and I stumbled back a bit, "We figured that we're_ INTIMIDATING_ enough to scare you a way, you little peeping queer!"

"Yeah man, we don't want you checking us out in the locker room, dude. That's just messed up," One guy shouted.

Another one spoke up, "And I bet ever since _Fancy_ turned you gay, you've been getting progressively suckier at hockey, dude."

"Yeah," Scott spit at me, "This sport ain't for queers." He shoved me by the shoulders and I stormed out of the room.

I nearly heaved up my lunch as I stumbled down the hall. _How can this be happening? My life is over! _Hockey was like life itself to me. Not only was it a sport I was good at. But it made me feel strong, and it allowed me to feel that way while also expressing emotion. The way I glided across the ice was so scripted and precise, it made me feel like a prima-ballerina compared my giant, bumbling regular movements. And when I had all my pads and gear on, I was ready to fight! Blood rushed to my head as I became high on the adrenaline of the chase; rushing down the ice and colliding with a player on the opposing team, knocking us both to the ground. In my hockey gear, I was an invincible knight in shining armor. My hockey stick was my sword, and my anger and frustrations were the dragon I was slaying. Slam! Pass! Score! One more point, one more stab into the dragon. One more reason to feel good about myself for once in my pathetic little life. And like that, it was over. _How could this be happening to me? What's Dad gonna think? He'll definitely be disappointed. Mom, too. And what about my brothers? Their gonna rip me apart with taunts when they hear about this. What if I had a scholarship? If I did, then I just lost what was probably my only chance at a good school! There's no way that Momma and Papa have saved up enough to send me anywhere near the ocean, let alone to a good school! _

_Oh my god, my life has been ruined and I'm only still in high school..._

* * *

I bulldozed my way through the hallway and to my locker. I placed my arm against the metal and let my head fall to the floor again. At that point, it was useless to try and stop the tears. So I opened up my locker and started to gather my things. _Hopefully this will distract me enough to get me to stop crying. _

"Dave, listen. I'm really sorry about yesterday." I turned, and there he was. Kurt stood there, an ashamed expression on his face. "I guess I was just angry that you took everything so well. Maybe I'm still a little angry at you for bullying me and I just wanted so revenge, ya know? I wanted you to experience what I went through."

I quickly wiped my tears and looked to him, "Oh yeah?"

"Yeah," He smiled, "And I think it would be really cool if you joined Glee Club."

I froze. _What the hell? Why would I wanna join Glee Club? _Putting back on my angry face, I stopped facing him to talk. "I have hockey practice today," I muttered.

"No you don't!" He shot back. My head came up so fast the world started spinning. "I heard the hockey team talking about kicking you out earlier. And I'm really sorry about your loss, but I swear Glee Club will like you eventually. It'll just take them a little time to warm up to you."

I grumbled a little, clenching my fist. "Fine," I gave in. Kurt smiled at me, and my heart fluttered just a little bit.

"I'll take you to audition," He said, grabbing my hand and pulling me off to face the one group of people who probably hated me more than everyone else in the entire universe.

* * *

"Hey Kurt, ready to practice for-" Mr. Schue stopped talking as soon as he saw me entering the room with Kurt, who I just then noticed was holding my hand. I kept my head down in an attempt to ignore the stares and gawks.

"Get out of here!" Puck shouted, getting up from his seat, "And stay away from my boy Kurt!"

"Hold on Puck," Finn grabbed his shoulder and kept him from beating me, "There are rumors going around about him."

The goth-girl spoke up, "Yeah, lots of people are saying you're gay."

"Is it true?" Dingle-Berry asked, her eyes fixated on me, fascinated.

I sighed and begrudgingly answered, "Yes. And Kurt brought me here to audition for Glee Club."

Gasps and whispers floated around the room for quite some time. "I can't believe it's true!" "Are Kurt and him and item now?" "I didn't know Karofsky could sing!" "I wonder why he decided to join." "I bet his jock buddies started picking on him" "He'll probably just storm off again if he gets slushied." "I'm still not trusting him." "No wonder he closed his eyes when we were making out last year." I chuckled at the last one. Brittany had been my first ever kiss, but I still didn't count her. And from what I had heard, the dumb-blonde Cheerio had been Kurt's first kiss too. _It seems she's gotten around to all the guys at this school, including all the gay ones. _

"Alright everyone, calm down," Mr. Schue announced, waving his arms as a signal for silence, "Now, David, do you have song you'd like to sing for your audition?"

I flinched a little. _What song do I know by heart? Aha, Kings of Leon never let me down! _"I know just the one," I told him, smiling. Kurt grabbed my hand as we made our way to the auditorium, a blush streaking across both of our faces.

* * *

Singing in the shower had always been a little habit I had. I liked the way the water ran down my body as my heart thumped and my voice carried throughout my tiny bathroom. I had never sung at school. I had never been brave enough. _Then why the hell am I about to get up on stage and do an audition?_

My whole body shivered as I walked up to the microphone at the front of the stage. The auditorium was probably at minimum capacity, since Glee Club barely met the requirements for the amount of members they needed. I tapped it quickly to check and see if it was working, then closed my eyes. When they opened up, everyone was staring at me. Kurt was still backstage, waiting for me to start before heading back to the audience to watch.

"I need to be there to catch you in case you fall," He had told me before pushing me out in front of everyone to utterly humiliate myself. I wasn't quite sure what he meant by that, but right then I was pretty sure he meant it literally. I could barely even breath, and my eyes were suddenly being dotted with black spots. I felt like I was about to pass out up there.

_Deep breaths, Dave. You can do this. _The spotlight burned my eyes as I stood alone on the stage. I took a deep breath as the band started playing. My palms were sweaty and my face felt hot. But I couldn't back down. I had to sing, and loud. Finally it was time.

And as soon as I had sung the first four seconds of words, I knew I was welcome somewhere again.

"_I've been roaming around, I was looking down at all I see."_

People were cheering for me already! I smiled, and lifted my voice, carrying it even farther across the room.

"_Painted faces fill the places I can't reach._

_You know that I could use somebody._

_You know that I could use somebody."_

I looked down into the first row and Kurt immediately caught my eye. His smile was so wide I could hardly stand it. My nerves disappeared in a flash at how proud he looked! And the rest of the song was a piece of cake.

"_Someone like you and all you know and how you speak_

_Countless lovers under cover of the street_

_You know that I could use somebody_

_You know that I could use somebody_

_Someone like you_

_Off in the night while you live it up I'm off to sleep_

_Waging wars to shake the poet and the beat_

_I hope it's gonna make you notice_

_I hope it's gonna make you notice_

_Someone like me, someone like me_

_Someone like me, somebody_

_I'm ready now, I'm ready now_

_I'm ready now, I'm ready now_

_I'm ready now, I'm ready now_

_I'm ready now_

_Someone like you, somebody_

_Someone like you, somebody_

_Someone like you, somebody_

_I've been roaming around, I was looking down at all I see..."_

As I exited the stage, the world was a blur of "Awesome job, dude"s and "That was so cool"s and "You're going to love going to Nationals with us in New York City"s. For the rest of the afternoon, a white light blinded me with happiness and I felt so tingly I thought I might bubble up into a volcano of joy. So I decided to use all of my energy to finally do the one thing I never thought I'd have enough courage to.

* * *

"David, what's going on?" Momma asked as I gently placed her on the sofa in our living room. Papa was seated next to her, and to the left and right were William, Brett, and Anthony. I turned to my eldest brother and he nodded to me, smiling. He already knew, but I needed him with me anyway, for moral support. I cleared my throat and looked at them all. _This is it, Dave. This is the moment. _I took a deep breath, and I said it.

"Momma, Papa... I'm gay."

* * *

**Finally, Chapter Four! SOOO MUCH SUSPENSE! Haha, betcha can't bare it, right? **

**YAY! hpgleek713 won! Hahaha, it's so amazing how that happened to be the only episode of what the buck you'd ever seen. Great choice! "Give courage, not head." TRULY INSPIRATIONAL! :D Anyways, enjoy your Charlotte Cookie (I used extra-oily frosting on the hair)!**

**Also, SabrinaTheGLEEk, don't feel so ashamed about your iCarly fetish. I like iCarly too. Except I get jealous whenever I see Spencer's epic socks. :P**

**Also, KINGS OF LEON IS AMAZING! And their song also had the most votes on my poll, so their song is what Dave sings! Also, sorry again if you hate song lyrics, especially in this chapter 'cuz it's so short (it's not small, it's fun size)! Another thing: I know the first line takes up more than four seconds, but it's chapter four, so it has to be four you sillies! I don't know when Chapter Five will be out, but it will be pretty soon.**

**Math time!**

**reviews + alerts + favorites = LOVE ^-^ **

**Pray for Japan!**

**~ Sea Pig**


	5. 5 Months 'till July

_Five Months 'till July_

Silence was everywhere, and suddenly everything around me seemed so much louder. The ticking of the grandfather clock in the corner of the room tapped at my ears like a snare drum. The humming of the refrigerator in the kitchen across the hall, coupled with the buzz of our space heater, gave me a slight tickle in my spine and made my stomach feel warm. The wind outside tackling our ridged window panes sounded worse than when Azimio and I head-butted our football helmets a little too hard and my whole brain started to shake. I shifted my foot just a little bit, and my sweat-drenched sock made a squeak which seemed to echo throughout the whole house. After that, I stopped moving. I tried to look into my mother's eyes to see how she felt, but she kept them fixated on her khaki pants and the glimmer from the wedding band on her finger. Her hands were placed flat on her lap, but not for long. After what felt like centuries, she stood up, still refusing to look at me. I wanted to look to William for help, but I knew that it was not the right time. It was Momma's turn to speak her mind, and I needed to pay attention.

And that's when her palm collided with my cheek.

The sound of the slap was the worst of all. The harsh, violent clap of skin on skin seemed to hang in the air like an awful stench. I felt my right cheek quickly and it felt really soft. _Too_ soft. That's when I realized that my momma's outburst was going to leave a bruise. Mother's eyes were facing me, but were shrouded in secrecy by her soft, strawberry-blonde hair. I could feel them slicing through me like a knife through butter. And I flinched as she finally wiped the hairs from her face, anticipating another blow. But she just stood there, frowning at me.

"_You are NOT my son!_" She snarled in a cracked tone, poking me in the chest with her sharp, manicured nail. Her voice sounded like sandpaper to me. She stood there, heaving up deep, labored breaths for a moment before taking back her finger and clenching her fists at her sides. Then she turned dramatically and stomped her way out of the room, clicking her heals against the floor so loudly they resembled the crack of lightning every time they hit the polished wood. I could hear her waltzing angrily up the stairs and then slamming the door of the master bedroom shut. The noise was so deafening I wondered if the door had cracked.

I turned my attention back to Brett and Anthony, and they were both giving me dirty looks. Brett closed his eyes and shook his head in disappointment, while Anthony just looked disgusted at me. They, two, made their way upstairs, though they chose to be quieter, shutting their bedroom door at a more normal volume. I sighed, scrubbing my calloused hands over my face, trying to wake up from the nightmare which was unfolding in my very living room. _What the hell were you thinking? _I asked myself, _The Glee kids like you because they're comfortable with gays and lesbians and being yourself. Your right-wing family is most definitely not, and telling them that you're gay might cost you the only family you have. _I exhaled in frustration at the thought. _Are they really cruel enough to kick me out? _Luckily, the question was taken off my mind by a strong hand clenching my shoulder.

"Dave, don't worry," William said to me, whispering it slowly so it reached my ear without tearing the delicate membrane apart. It was like he knew how all of those tiny sounds made me queazy on the inside. "I'll take you upstairs and tuck you in now." I nodded to him. Then we both turned and headed towards the staircase in the hallway. As William held my hand, leading me up to my room, I took a quick look back at my father. He was still sitting on the sofa, gazing in to his lap as if it had hypnotized him. I desperately wanted to know what he was thinking, but William always seemed to know what was best, so I decided to get some rest and confront him later.

Once we were in my room, William helped me change into my pajamas, then he tucked me into my bed. The sheets felt colder for some reason as his warm hands wrapped me up delicately. I felt like a baby, but in a good way. I was just a small child, but I could trust William to take good care of me. _More than I can ever trust my real mom again. _

"How are things at school?" He asked my kindly, placing his palm over mine as it folded over the top of my comforter.

"I joined the Glee Club," I told him. He smiled proudly at me. It was obvious that he knew bad things were happening as well, but William was too smart and kind to ask me about my troubles after such an emotionally stressful event.

"How are things with Kurt?" This time, he smirked at me, and I knew he wasn't gonna let me avoid the question.

"He held my hand today a lot," I said, blushing, "But he said we couldn't really date until I was out _and_ proud, and I'm still working on the last part." William chuckled a little before leaning over and kissing my forehead.

"I'm gonna go speak with Momma, alright?" His brown eyes were so warm and affectionate, they mesmerized me as he asked my the question. I snapped out of my daze and nodded in approval. He smiled back down at me, but then his face turned serious so I paid close attention. "If you need to talk to me about this, feel free to come find me whenever you need me. I promise I'll be there for you twenty-four seven, Dave. No matter what."

I was taken aback at his kindness. William warmed my heart so much I could hardly take it. "Thank you," I sniffled, holding back tears, "I love you, William."

"I love you too, Dave," He told me with that fond, soothing voice of his. He kissed my forehead one more time before switching off my light and heading out of my room.

I sighed, shifting a little bit in my bed as I waited for sleep to wash over me. But my eyes would not close. _Maybe it's the anger, _I thought, _Momma has no idea how upset she's made me. I thought I could trust the woman who birthed me to understand a thing like this, but I guess not! _A tear streaked down my face at this notion, so I decided to think about something else. _Maybe it's the wondering, _I pondered, _I might never know what Papa was thinking as he sat their, watching Momma abuse me like that. Just trying to imagine what was going on inside his head is eating me up inside! _Just then, a creak came from the hallway. I froze in place, shutting my eyes lightly so that I could barely see underneath my eyelids. The door opened up a bit, and someone approached my bed. They were short, and a little bit round. And they came up to me and started observing me closely. I had a bug bite on my leg that I was desperate to itch at, but made sure not to fidget as I took deep breaths, pretending to sleep. A warm, calloused hand with many wrinkles and knuckles sprinkled with scratchy hairs stroked my head as I lied down motionless, trying not to be too suspicious. The hand traveled down my cheek and the heat it gave me made me blush. It stayed there for a about a minute, beginning to make my cheek sting when I realized that this person was touching my bruise. Then, they groaned softly and left, making sure their steps were quiet so no one would know they had been with me. _Oh my god, _I thought, _That was...

* * *

_

"Papa? Papa, where are you?" I called throughout the house. It was Wednesday morning and Parent-Teacher conferences were happening so I had two days off from school. That morning I had scoured our entire home and couldn't find my father anywhere. I was beginning to worry. _Did Momma do something to him? Did he run away? What happened? _As questions bounced around my head, I came to a stop at the bottom of the stairway. Two shadowed figures stood in the living room, staring each other down.

"I just think that maybe you should be a little nicer to your own _son_, that's all." I gasped when I heard William's voice. He was in an argument with Momma, the same Momma who he had thanked constantly for just bringing him into the world. I was shocked he would take it so far just to help _me_.

"Why the hell are you making it sound like I'm a traitor?" She asked, hissing like a snake, "I've got to other perfectly normal boys. _You_ on the other hand. You are a disgrace!" Momma stamped down her foot and growled at William, but he stood his ground and didn't flinch.

"You mean you don't even _care _about him?"

"Shut the hell up, boy!" I closed my eyes and covered my ears, dashing back up to my room in a flash. I just couldn't take the fighting anymore. I couldn't find my papa, my momma and my only loving brother were having an awful fight, and my other brothers wouldn't even talk to me. It seemed like the worst day ever, but then a *ding* came from my laptop. My guardian angel was online again.

**Fancy: **_**What happened yesterday? You weren't online at all after Glee!**_

**The Fury: **_**Sorry about that. I'm in a bad mood right now.**_

**Fancy: **_**Why?**_

I sighed, rubbing my face. I was nervous to tell him that I had come out to my family and that they hadn't taken it very well. _Will he be mad at me? Did I tell them too early? _Eventually, I mustered up the courage to answer him. _Might as well get it all out now._

**The Fury: **_**Last night I was so happy about the Glee Club accepting me that I decided to come out to my family.**_

**Fancy: **_**Oh Dave...**_

**The Fury: **_**Yes Kurt?**_

**Fancy: **_**I'm so proud of you! **_I stopped typing immediately and slid backwards in shock. _He's actually proud of me? I can't believe it! I thought he'd bug me about making a total mistake. _A huge grin came to my face as I typed up my response.

**The Fury: **_**Oh wow, I thought you'd be mad, like that I made a mistake or something.**_

**Fancy: **_**Silly Dave. There's no "Coming Out Rule Book" or anything. It's fine :D**_

I was so relieved that I almost forgot to talk to Kurt about my _real _problem at that moment. Luckily, he managed to bring it up on his own.

**Fancy: **_**So, how did your parents react?**_

**The Fury: **_**It didn't go very well... **_

**Fancy: **_**Do you think your parents are going to kick you out?**_

**The Fury: **_**I'm not sure. My mom might, but William could try and stop her. I'm not sure where my dad stands though. My two other brothers haven't talked to me yet, and Will and Momma won't stop yelling! I hate yelling...**_

**Fancy: **_**I'm sorry about all the times I've yelled at you before. I promise not to do it around you if it makes you so upset.**_

**The Fury: **_**Thank you...**_

**Fancy: **_**Well now that everyone in my family knows you're gay, I'll take the time to explain to them what you're going through. And just so you know, we have a guest room and I'd be happy to put up with you for as long as you need a place to stay. **_

**The Fury: **_**Thanks Kurt :)**_

**Fancy: **_**No problem :)**_

_Kurt Elizabeth Hummel has signed out. _

I sighed in relief, then shut my laptop and got up out of my chair. Just as I was about to grab my ipod and take a nap, I knock came on my door. _Papa... _I thought, rushing to answer it. Unfortunately, it wasn't him, and he hadn't returned home yet. Instead, it was Anthony. His expression: unreadable.

"Momma wants you down in the dining room," He muttered, not even looking me in the eyes. I flinched a little bit when he mentioned where she wanted me. We hardly ever used the dining room for anything except fancy dinner parties and serious talks. After I had gotten expelled in November was the last time I had spent more than five seconds in the room itself.

_And now Momma wants to talk to me. Oh god, what does she want? _Paralyzed with fear, it took me a minute to realize that Anthony was only standing there because he was waiting for me to follow him. I shook my head a little to snap out of my thought train, then followed him downstairs to the dusty yet polished room in complete silence. It seemed that not even our footsteps interrupted the not-noise. I found Momma sitting on one side of the table with another chair opposite her. When we made eye-contact, she looked concerned, so I sat down quickly and gave her my full attention.

She cleared her throat, then started her speech. "David, after me and William's little chat earlier today, it has come to my attention that I'm not showing you how much I care about you. As your mother, it's my job to tell you that I _do _care, and that we are going to work this "gay" thing out to the best of our abilities as a very close family."

I started to get a little suspicious of her sudden change in attitude, but what I really wanted to know was where Papa had gone. However, I was too afraid of making her snap back to her mean old self to ask any questions, so I nodded and let her continue.

"Moving on, I've decided to get you professional help to conquer this issue. Brett picked this pamphlet up for me from the church, and I'd like you to read it, please." She smiled innocently as she pulled out the brochure and slid it across the table. I read the cover, and immediately went from confused to terrified.

"Back on Track: A Summer Camp for Teens Struggling With The Sin of Homosexuality," I muttered, my throat drying up when I realized what the pamphlet was advertising. "You mean, you're sending me to a _straight camp_?" My voice cracked a bit on the last two words as they slipped out of my mouth. I was literally trembling at the thought of such a place. Kurt had explained to me via IM what exactly straight camps were for, and how messed up they made people, especially teenagers. _I can't believe it! _I thought, _How could Momma say she cares about me when she's trying to send me to a __**straight camp**__?_

"The camp starts in July," She told me cheerily.

_Well, it's official. I only have five months left of freedom before my life completely __**ends**__.

* * *

_**So, did you like? It has about the same word-count as chapter four, but it's content is a lot thicker, so I hope it****'s better than the last one. Thank you so much for all of your reviews. Chapter Six will be a little difficult, and Chapter Seven is probably going to be really long, so I'll try and start those two soon. Prepare for an angry rant:**

**I HATE INTERNET TV! Last night, since my digital converter box is a big fat STUPID and doesn't seem to want to let us find FOX news, I watched Glee live streaming on a website. Occasionally, Ads pop up and they take up the whole screen. You have to wait 20 seconds before you can close them, and in the 20 seconds in which Kurt and Blaine had BOTH of their kisses, THERE WAS AN AD ON SCREEN! I LITERALLY WANTED TO STRANGLE SOMEBODY OVER HOW ANGRY I WAS! AND THAT SAYS A LOT 'CUZ I DON'T EVEN LIKE KLAINE! UGH, !**

**Also, isn't in funny how the Warbler's are always harmonizing? The first time I saw the Blackbird scene, I nearly cried. But the second time, I started giggling at the Warbler's naturally instinct to doowop in the background. Those weirdos... :)**

**reviews + favorites + alerts = LOVE**

**Pray for Japan!**

**~ Sea Pig  
**


	6. 6 Million Reasons I Love You

_6 Million Reasons I Love You _

After Momma had broke the harsh news I immediately lost my appetite. For _everything. _I refused to speak to anyone, including William. I didn't eat any of my dinner. I didn't go online and chat with Kurt. I didn't even put on my headphones for a nap. I just lied in my bed doing nothing until I managed to pass out on my own. _Hopefully there will be something I can look forward to tomorrow, _I thought as I slowly drifted off to sleep.

The next morning, the first thing I did was run. I sprang up from my bed, dashed down the stairs, and nearly squished my face into the living room window. But I was overwhelmed with disappointment at what I saw. Nothing. Mom was probably out at parent-teacher conferences, and Dad. _His car still isn't out there, _I began to worry, _Where in the world has he been? _

I spent the rest of my second day off waiting for him. In the kitchen, I would glance to my left and out the window every so often to see if he was pulling up into the driveway. In the tv room, I looked to my left during commercials in hopes he would be walking up to the front door. When I was sitting in the living room, reading my book for history class, I would occasionally peer behind me to check if his car was where it was usually parked. He never came home. And William and Mama just wouldn't stop yelling at each other _about me_. So I refused my dinner and confined myself to my room for the evening. My papa had no clue that he was the only thing left in my life that could save me. I had no idea what he was thinking or doing, and my life was literally in his hands. It was incredibly unsettling to think about. I sighed in frustration as the clock on my wall ticked and ticked and the moon rose higher and higher outside my bedroom window. _I have school tomorrow, _I groaned as I settled into the covers, _But I don't think I wanna deal with anyone yet. _Just as I was about to flop my head onto my pillow, a *ding* came from my laptop sitting on my desk. _Chat request. From: Kurt Elizabeth Hummel._ Then there was another one.

*ding*_**Fancy: Dave, where are you? What's going on? Are you okay? Please tell me you're okay...**_

He had been sending me messages like that for the past day and a half, but I refused to answer. If I couldn't deal with crap, I couldn't deal with sympathy either. I really didn't wanna have to deal with anything at all at the time. I ignored the continuous bleeps and bloops coming from the computer as I lied in my bed. One thing I learned from those two days is that sleep is hard to achieve when you're too exhausted to do things like sleeping.

* * *

The next day, I woke up to a slap. "Don't you talk to your mother like that!" Momma shrieked at William, "I decide what Dave does! He is _going _to the straight camp! AND YOU DON'T GET TO TELL ME OTHERWISE!" William stood his ground as I watched from the stairwell.

"Go ahead, Mother," He taunted, "Call me a son of bitch already, 'CUZ IT'S THE TRUTH!"

"YOU BASTARD! TAKE THIS!" Another slap echoed through the hallway. Then Mother began to hit him, again and again. But William refused to return fire. I really couldn't take any more shit from them, so I grabbed a bagel from the kitchen and drove to school early. After I arrived, I took a minute to sit in the car and eat. It was relaxing to finally be alone for once. Sure, for the past two days I had been given the choice to spend my time in my room. But I didn't feel truly by myself until I could no longer hear any yelling or hitting coming from downstairs.

"I wonder what McKinley has planned for me today," I sighed, wiping crumbs from my face before getting out and heading to the main entrance.

As I had expected, the day was mostly filled with taunts, whispers, and dirty looks. But I managed to ignore them by focusing on my one hope: my papa. All day long I thought about him. How when I was little, he would take me to the park. Just me and him and nobody else. And how on that one day I fell off the jungle gym and...

"_Papa, papa, look at me!" I shrieked happily from the top of the array of bars. I flipped myself over and hung from the backs of my knees, smiling and making funny faces as my shirt began to fall, exposing my fat little four-year-old belly. I giggled and snorted as some bigger kids got on to the jungle gym, shaking the bars wildly and making me shimmy along with them. Then, a really big kid got on to one of the lowest bars and jumped. At first, I laughed as I flew up into the air. But when my leg came back down and hit the bar I flinched at the pain. I was so focused on how my leg hurt that I forgot to fold my knees back up and began to plummet towards the wood chips below me. I screamed as I fell, and when I hit the ground, the first thing I heard was a CRACK! "PAPA!" I wailed, crying all over my favorite t-shirt, "IT HURTS! PAPA!" I could see him out of the corner of my eye racing towards me._

"_David!" He called to me. Papa rushed up and knelt at my side, taking my hand and stroking it, "David, where does it hurt the most?" I could see how worried he was as I looked into his eyes. _

"_My arm..." I blubbered as tears ran all down my face and neck. I held onto my right elbow with my left hand as the pain increased. Then Papa got up, squatting down to pick me up and take me back to his car. He dashed as fast as he could, looking at me the whole time to make sure the way he was running wasn't hurting me more. I stared back at the boys who had been playing. They were looking at me, embarrassed at their mistake. But none of them said or did anything to help. They just seemed ashamed. _

"_Don't worry, Davie," My papa whispered, kissing my forehead as he strapped me in to my car seat. He handed me my favorite stuffed bear and my blanket, "I love you, and I'm gonna make sure that you're okay." Then we rushed off to the hospital. I rested my eyes on the way there, but I remember waking up and the doctor telling me that I had a broken arm and a twisted ankle. My Papa squeezed my hand at the diagnosis. It made me feel a little bit better. _

Ever since my cast had come off, "I love you" started to mean less and less. Whenever he told it to me, it seemed like just hot air coming out of his mouth. When I won my first hockey game, the spark returned. But only momentarily. After that, it seemed that nothing I did could get him to truly love me ever again. _What if he really __**doesn't **__love me? _I thought anxiously as I awaited the end of my last class of the day, _Maybe after this, it will really be a lie. Who knows? Maybe he's not just Momma's servant. Maybe he __**is **__a total homophobe and wants to change me. _A tear slipped down my cheek at the thought. I had never loved Momma like I loved Papa. _If he really is a homophobe, he'll never understand... _I sniffled and wiped the tear from my face as the bell rang.

During Glee Club, I kept silent. At first, nobody bugged me. They were too busy putting Rachel down for asking the club which respectable female celebrities she most resembled, and what solos she should sing and by whom. I could have cared less. So I sat quietly in the corner, minding my own business until Kurt showed up. His hair was gelled up into a messy style that made it look like he'd just got out of bed, thought it seemed to me that it had taken him a long time to get it that way. He was wearing a skinny long-sleeve shirt with some obscure album cover called "Life in Cartoon Motion" on the front and back, and tight, blue jeans that literally hugged all of his best _ass_ets. _Stop trying to be so puny Dave, it's stupid. _I decided to ignore the voice in my head and continued to stare at the jeans, not noticing how close my face was getting to Kurt's crotch.

"Umm, Dave?" Kurt asked, smiling awkwardly and standing above me. I snapped up out of my trance and turned my focus to his beautiful face.

"Yeah?" I responded sheepishly, "What's up?"

"Uh, nothing. But if you're wondering about the outfit, Mercedes and I are starting Casual Friday." He sat down in the plastic chair to my right and placed his bag on the ground. I hadn't seen him all day. We hadn't smiled in the hallway or held hands or even acknowledged each other's existence. I had literally _not seen him at all. _And so then I felt awkward. _What the heck should I do? Should I ask him about his day or something? What do I have to do to get him to like me more? _

"So where were you Thursday?" He questioned me calmly, "I was a bit worried about you since you wouldn't respond to me on chat, but you seem fine now."

I flinched, letting my head fall. _It doesn't feel right telling him. I don't want him to feel my pain. And I __**don't **__want him to know what a big mistake I made. _"Nothing happened," I muttered, turning my body away from him. I could feel his gaze piercing through me, and I sensed his concern.

"Alright then," He sighed, "But Dave, if something's the matter, you can tell me. Don't be so afraid that you messed up. Like I said, there's no coming-out rule book. _Whatever happened __**isn't **__your fault._" My breath hitched at how kind he was being. I nearly wanted to cry. But I couldn't let him see how emotionally unstable I was. _Stop being a softy, _I told myself confidently, _What you really want is for people to leave you alone! _I continued to not pay attention all throughout Glee Club, and thankfully Kurt left me alone for the most part. He stilled turned to look at me though, worry in his eyes.

When Glee Club was over, I headed out to the parking lot. Little did I know, I was being followed. "Hey, Dave! Wait a minute!" A familiar soprano called. I groaned and turned around to see Kurt just as he was bursting out the main door.

"I'm fine, alright?" I lashed at him, beginning to regret my tone as soon as the words came out of my mouth, "Just let me go home so I can have some peace and quiet!" Kurt stumbled back a little at my sudden rage. He placed a hand over his open mouth, and I immediately felt bad. "Sorry," I said calmly, shrugging, "My family is still a little mad at me, and I haven't talked to my dad in a while."

He seemed to have sympathy for me, even after I had practically yelled at him. "Don't worry about it, Dave," He told me, coming a little closer, "I understand you must be pretty stressed right now. I don't hate you for wanting to be alone. If you want to come over to my house this weekend, feel free to stop by." And with that, he walked away, seemingly not despising me. I sighed in relief, then began heading to my own car on the other side of the lot. But of course, someone else just had to come talk to me.

"What do you want?" I asked, annoyed as two sets of footsteps got closer. _Wait a minute... __**two **__sets? Who exactly is behind me? _Curious, I turned around. But upon seeing their faces, I froze and immediately regretted it. "Wha-what are you doing here?" I stuttered, nearly hopeless. They didn't appear to have any slushies, but I really had no idea what they could have been hiding. Azimio stepped a little bit in front of Strando and spoke first.

"Look, dude," He began, so calm and collected that it scared me a little, "We just wanna talk."

"Yeah, we're not gonna hurt you or anything," Strando added.

I was speechless. _What the fuck is wrong with you guys? _I thought, _Where have you been for the past week, and why the hell are you confronting me now? _I really didn't know why I was suddenly so angry, but I definitely knew I was confused. They had yet to throw slushies in my face, call me a fag, or shove me into some wall or something. So what were they up to? "Can you just leave me alone?" I asked, not making eye contact, "I've had a really bad week, so if you're planning on insulting me, can you at least wait until Monday instead?"

"Dude, for the last time, we aren't gonna do anything to ya," Azimio stated, "We want you to know something."

Strando stepped forward a little bit to talk. "We've got your back, man," He said, Azimio nodding along, "I did a little research, and realized that gay people aren't really that bad, and if there are gay guys that are like you, than they are definitely awesome!" I smiled a bit, then turned to Azimio. He looked like he was about to confess something.

"I kinda knew all along," Azimio sighed, looking down in shame, "I was especially sure though when you started acting funny around Kurt. That really set my gaydar off. And to be honest, I feel kinda bad not talking to you this week. You were probably going through a lot, but I just wasn't sure what I wanted to say to you, so I held back. I'm so sorry, man."

_I can't believe it! _I thought, so giddy that I could float, _They still want to be friends with me! This is so awesome! _A funny grin came to my face and the guys looked confused. "Only gay guys have gaydars, Azimio..." I giggled. After I had made the comment, we all burst into laughter. It was just like the good old days, give or take a few personal issues, but still. It was great to have my friends back for good. As the chuckling started to fizzle out, I remembered what a shitty day I had been having and immediately went back to being silent and reserved. Azimio seemed to pick up on my upset-ness pretty quickly, and he wasn't one to take "no" for an answer.

"Really, man, what's up witchu?" He asked me, making sure to keep his voice low. He always did that when he was _demanding _an answer. I felt like I was part of an interrogation.

I sighed and just told them, giving up on keeping my life to myself. "Do you guys know what straight camps are?" I questioned.

Strando nodded his head. "Yeah, I heard about them. They are religious camps where gay people are sent to become straight. I hear they aren't such good places."

"You're right," I confirmed, taking a deep breath afterwards, "And as of now, my mother is officially sending me to one this summer." I looked down at the pavement as a single tear dropped from my face. I could feel sympathy radiating off of my friends as they got in closer. When I looked up, Azimio came right in and gave me a big, fat hug. A few seconds later, Strando joined in too, and I couldn't stop myself from crying anymore. "Thanks you guys," I sniffled, a smile coming to my face at how ridiculous we probably looked. Eventually, they backed off and we all had big, goofy grins on our faces.

"Now, we have a surprise for you," Strando said, smirking a little.

Azimio cleared his throat in an official kind of way, "We decree that to help you deal with all the crap at your house right now that you must attend my kick-ass triple sleepover-for-the-whole-weekend starting right now and that you and Strando are to come over to my house and we are to pig out on pizza and watch some movies and stay up 'till at least one am." He poked me in the chest playfully before continuing, "And _you _are to forget about your currently shitty life and have _fun. _Ya got that?... I decree, and stuff." I couldn't stop laughing at how ridiculous Azimio sounded when he tried to talk like a politician but I managed to nod my head in agreement.

So we headed together over to my car (those two bums were always needing rides) and I drove us back to my place so I could pick up a few necessities (my digital camera, my PSP, my copy of Brokeback Mountain that I was going to force my friends to watch. You know, things that are always needed). As we approached my driveway, I noticed two very startling and important things. 1) My father's BMW was sitting in its normal spot. 2) The trunk was open and half-filled with brown cardboard boxes.

"What the fuck?" I muttered under my breath as I turned in and stopped the car. Azimio and Strando could tell I was concerned. They seemed a bit unsettled at the sight too. _What the hell is this? _I thought as I stepped out and slammed the car door behind me. _Is Papa moving or something? What's going on? _Immediately as the thought came into my head, I shuttered in fear. _Maybe Papa is so stressed about his son being gay that he needs to get away from me. Maybe he doesn't love me anymore and blames Momma for raising me that way. What if my parents get a divorce? _It was all coming at me so fast, like a bullet train of worry on an infinite loop in my brain. I had to stop walking for a second just to calm myself down. Luckily, Azimio was there, and instead of saying anything, he just put his hand on my shoulder and stood there. I knew he was going through my shitty life with me, and it made me feel better.

We all walked in together, but Azimio and Strando stopped at about the kitchen. I raced up to my bedroom alone to see what was happening.

"Oh William, can you take this down for me ple-" My father stopped when he turned around, holding a rather large box in his arms. Around him were tons of other boxes, and loads of bubble paper and packing peanuts littered the floor. My big navy-blue suitcase was on my bed and contained about two weeks worth of clothes, along with shoes, a comb, a toothbrush, and some other toiletries. "David," Papa recovered, placing the box down and walking up to me with outstretched arms, "Come give your old man a big hug, will you?" I complied, keeping myself close to him for as long as I could.

When he let me go, my eyes had puffed up again. "A-are, are you k-kicking me out?" I asked nervously. He just laughed like he used to, the way I remembered. The laugh he had when I was just a little boy and we were so happy together that by the time I reached high school my kindergarten years had seemed like a fantasy.

"Of course not, sweetheart," He chuckled, "But I do have a very special surprise for you." Just then, William appeared in the doorway and helped our feeble old Papa carry a few of the heavier items from my room and down to the BMW. Once we were downstairs, he approached my two friends. "Young man, can you please follow us in David's car with a few of the boxes? I'm afraid we can't take them all in mine," Papa asked Azimio sweetly, handing him the car keys I had dropped when I had entered the house. Azimio complied, and he and Strando went back up to my room with William to carry down more boxes. I followed Papa to his car and helped him load the last few items into the backseat and the trunk. "There, almost done," My father sighed, wiping some sweat from his forehead, "Now you just relax and wait in the BMW, Davie. The rest of us will take it from here." I sat down and made myself comfortable in the warm, black-leather passenger seat. I wanted to calm myself, so I turned on the radio, but there wasn't any good music playing. My mind was just so scattered that the music wouldn't have helped anyways.

Eventually, everything from my room had been stowed away into a vehicle. William had left a little earlier in his own car with what appeared to be a few of Papa's things. Azimio was at the wheel of my old Toyota, and I silently prayed he wouldn't crash it. As we pulled out of the driveway, I slid my window open and peaked out, watching my friends follow behind us.

"So, where exactly are we going?" I finally got the balls to ask when we were about seven minutes into our trip. My dad just smirked and continued to drive.

"You'll like the place, I'm sure," He told me. I groaned and slumped back down in my seat, figuring it was no use trying to bug anything else out of him. I watched out the window as the houses got newer and the pavement got crisper and the picket fences got whiter and the grass got greener. It was like driving into a Disney movie compared to our old street. Dogwoods which were perfectly placed lined the edges of the road, providing shade and privacy to all of the cute little houses behind them. Flower beds sat next to the clean, white sidewalk only graffitied by children's chalk drawings. An older couple who looked like what I imagined Azimio's parents would become sat together on two lawn chairs. They waved to us as we passed them by, looking up from their books and smiling. Eventually, Papa pulled in to the driveway of a pretty robin-egg blue house with a matching mailbox. "William!" Papa called as he stepped outside. My oldest brother was carrying bags and boxes in to the house through the wide-open white front door.

_Our house is nothing like this, _I thought as I made my way up the driveway, _It's so old and rotting and dark all the time. This house is just so bright and beautiful, and all those windows out front let the sun shine in. It must be warm in there. _"What's going on, Papa?" I asked meekly. He stopped right as William came back outside. "Why are we at this house putting all our stuff in it?"

"Well, because this is _our _house now, David," He told me, smiling, "Let me explain some things to you. After you told me that you were gay, I needed to think. So I went in to your room Tuesday night to tell you that I was going to stay at a hotel for a night or two, but you looked so at-peace I decided to leave you be."

"So it _was _you," I muttered. But my father continued over my random comment.

"After some deep thought I realized that you've been gay all along. Your mother raised you to not be gay, and you've never been the rebellious type, so I figured it was just who you were. And as your father, it is my duty to be there for you when things get bad." As he paused, I noticed how he hadn't referred to Mama as his wife. "I love you, David," He told me, a tear coming to his eye, "And I want you to live the rest of your life in a safe environment where you're proud to be who you are. That is why I dipped into some funds, including some of your savings for college, and bought us a brand new house. Lisa and I are getting a divorce, and I am going to keep you safe for as long as I am on this Earth."

"Papa...I," I just couldn't hold them in anymore. The tears just kept coming and coming. I lost track of time as my dad scooped me up in my arms. And I was instantly brought back to that moment on the playground again.

"_Don't worry, Davie," My papa whispered, kissing my forehead as he strapped me in to my car seat. He handed me my favorite stuffed bear and my blanket, "I love you, and I'm gonna make sure that you're okay."_

"I love you too, Papa," I muttered into his shoulder as he rubbed circles into my back. I could feel his tears running into my shirt. They felt cool as the hot sun came down onto us from above. I didn't want to ever move. I could have lived my whole life like that, just in his arms. But I had a new life to attend to. And it was much better than my old one ever could have been.

"Get in here, man!" Azimio called as he and Strando raced down the stairs and outside, "Your room is so awesome!"

"Coming," I replied as they dashed back to the second floor. But I paused as I stepped inside. _Dad spent my __**college **__money? _"Papa," I began nervously, "How much of my college fund did you spend exactly?"

"Awe, don't be so worried," My father chuckled, "You have your scholarship, after all."

"My what?"

"You mean Lisa didn't tell you? I went to your parent-teacher conference on my own yesterday. Coach Beiste told me that you have a football scholarship from Ohio State, as well as from another college out-of-state who's name I can't remember." I was ecstatic. My life was finally coming together. My friends were back. I was in Glee Club. Kurt was beginning to like me. I had two different football scholarships. And my papa still loved me. But something felt missing. I still had to see if my momma could change.

_She is my mother, after all. I just have to get her to listen.

* * *

_

_**Hey everybody! Guess who knows who Haruhi Fujioka is? Emzyskullz knows, that's who! You get a virtual chibi-devil Blaine cookie for that one Emzyskullz. This was a contest on chapter 3 of Cloud 9 that nobody got until now. That took a bit longer than I thought... ^-^'**_

_**Anyways, I'm super excited for the 19th. Born this way, baby! And even if the song is a rip-off of Express Yourself, I could really care less as long as MAX ADLER GETS TO SING FOR US! Yay! *me fan-girling out*.**_

_**Two more things. First, did you see the Glee-Wind for Original Song? "Sorry Karofsky. Kurt's taken." THAT WAS MEAN! STUPID MEANIE ANNOUNCER WITH HIS STUPID MEAN LINES! Hopefully, Kurt will be untaken soon and then Karofsky will have a chance. Though I must admit, it is nice to see Kurt finally have a boyfriend. OUR LITTLE BOY IS FINALLY GROWING UP! I'M SO PROUD! Second, I HAS NEW CONTEST FORZ YOUZ! Who is the artist who made the album "Life in Cartoon Motion"? Bonus points if you can name his/her other album(s) and some songs too!**_

_**reviews + alerts + favorites = love**_

_**~ Sea Pig**_

_**Pray for Japan!**_


	7. 7 Minutes In Heaven

_7 Minutes In Heaven_

"_Oh Dave, put it in me, please!" Kurt moaned as I positioned myself, throwing his thin, lanky legs over my shoulders. He panted and groaned as I waited, teasing him. "Just DO ME ALREADY!" He demanded. His bitchy voice was just too much. I couldn't handle it! As I entered him, I leaned down and attacked his face with kisses, cupping the back of his head with my hands and ruffling his hair as I slipped my tongue into his mouth. "Oh David, I think I'm gonna, ahhh!-"_

"Oh Kurt! You're so sexy!" I growled back at him, but suddenly, his voice started to dissipate. And his mouth disappeared completely. My eyes slowly blinked open and revealed to me the horror which had _actually _been happening. I had my decoration pillow in my mouth and I had sucked on it so hard it was wrinkling. Sweat was all over me, making my clothes stick uncomfortably to my skin. And that gooeyness in my pants, it was...

Just then, I flinched, hearing two voices laughing above me. I turned to look upwards, and there they were. Azimio and Strando. And they had watched me have a wet dream. About Kurt.

"Oh great," I whined, sitting up from my sleeping bag and glaring at them, "I forgot you two bastard friends of mine were here."

"Shut the fuck up," Azimio retorted playfully, "We don't care man. We just thought it was funny."

Strando grabbed a pillow and brought it up to his face, placing his arms behind it and rubbing it into himself. "Oh Kurt, you make me so hard when you talk like that!" He imitated, making Z laugh even more. And I have to admit, it even got a little grin outta _me_.

* * *

After our fit of laughter, the other guys got dressed while I took a 5 second shower, -just enough to shake off all the sweat- and then got dressed myself. When we were ready, we bounded downstairs to the kitchen, the sent of bacon fueling us as we made our way to the stools next to the counter-island and plopped our asses down on them.

"Good morning, boys," Papa greeted, smiling at our energy. Then, he turned to me personally. "And hello there David. Are you ready for your big day today?" I flinched and froze in place.

_Damnit! _I thought. _I completely forgot about the plan! _Yesterday, William, Papa and I had formed up a plan to talk to Momma. We would gather up a group of the most sensible people we knew and invite them to come with us to Momma's house. Then, we would all talk to her as a group and convince her to give me a chance again. But then, as the clock on the wall ticked and the hour in which we were meeting her got closer, I started to have second thoughts. After we had devised our plan the night before, Azimio and Strando had gone back to their houses to grab some sleepover gear and it was decided that the kick-ass triple sleepover-for-the-whole-weekend would occur at my awesome new pad instead. We'd watched Brokeback Mountain together, and Z got a little peeved at me when I kept rewinding back to the sex scene in the tent. But overall, it had been a fun night. _A bit __**too**__ fun apparently, _I said to myself, _I guess I was so relaxed that I completely forgot about today. _

Suddenly, a sizzle erupted from the stove, and Papa shoved a plate of bacon in front of me. "Eat, sweetie, relax," He said to me, rubbing my hand gently. "You shouldn't be so worried. All of your friends are going to be here to support you anyways." Suddenly, DING DONG! Someone was at the door!

"Speaking of friends... someone's just arrived!" William remarked, trotting down the stairs and swiftly opening the front door. "Why hello Mr. and Mr. Berry. And a good morning to you, Rachel. My name is William, and I'm David's oldest brother. David was talking about you last night during dinner, and you seem like a lovely family to help us. Come right in, make yourselves at home."

"Just call me Leroy," Replied a tall, handsome black man as he stepped inside.

"And you can call me Hiram," A shorter Jewish man told William as he came in as well. Finally, Rachel stepped inside and handed Hiram her coat, which looked like a larger version of a jacket for a Barbie from 1965 (what, I'm just guessing. I'm not _that _gay).

"Why hello there David, Azimio, Strando," She greeted us, a bit too formally considering we were hunched over the kitchen counter with bacon crisp on our faces. "I trust you're ready for today's events."

"Uhhh..." We all blurted out in unison. Luckily, a second ring of the doorbell saved us. I smiled as my curly-haired spanish teacher made his way inside.

"Hi there, Mr. Schue!" I said happily, but it came out more like "higaremitershu" cuz of the bacon I was still chewing. I ran over to him and gave him a quick hug, then he ruffled my hair a bit and smiled down at me.

"Thanks for inviting me, Dave," He said kindly, "I'm honored that you'd choose me to help you with something as important as this."

"No, thank _you _Mr. Schue," I told him, "I'm really glad you're here." Just then, a third ding caused the room to turn their attention to the door. And then, _he _waltzed in.

He was beautiful. Elegant. He radiated grace. He wore a long white and clear trench coat that swept down his body like silk. His hair was styled up perfectly in a tiny coif on his head. His blue eyes shined even brighter than normal when they contrasted with his incredibly blue skinny-jeans which _really _hugged his legs and thighs. _And butt..._ I thought, licking my lips a little. He was so perfect, so adorable, all I wanted to do was rush up and and grab onto him and fold him up into my arms like a little child. And I would kiss him and nuzzle him and tell him what a great boyfriend he was...

I sighed, knowing why that _couldn't _happen yet. _You're still not done coming out, and since you snapped at him yesterday, he might not even like you. Don't get your hopes up, Dave, _I told himself firmly, taking a deep breath and walking over to them calmly to great them. Finn, Burt Hummel, and Carole Hummel came inside next. Finally, everyone we needed had arrived. And it was time to make our way to mother's house.

Time to stand up to the beast...

* * *

"We'll go later," Dad suddenly said over the small flurry of voices in the room, "Right now, I think we should just all relax. Here, come have some breakfast everyone." The crowd quickly flowed towards the kitchen table and everyone sat down while William and Z passed out plates. Suddenly, I felt a little tiny tug on my arm.

"Dave," A sweet little voice began to whisper to me. It reminded my of honey and vanilla. "Can we talk... in private?"

"Uh... yeah..." I responded nervously, leading Kurt to the sunroom behind our main room and kitchen. He found the newly placed sofa and took a seat, folding up his beautiful long legs and staring into his lap, almost... nervously. But he couldn't have been as nervous as I was. No way. My palms were so sweaty that when I tried to wipe them on my jeans, they nearly stuck and I couldn't move them. "What is it that you wanna talk about, fancy?" I immediately flinched at using the nickname, worrying if it would be too much, but he didn't seem to mind it.

"Are you ready to speak to your mother today, David? Because I'm very proud of you for taking this step." He asked, not making eye contact.

"Not really, but I don't think I ever will be," I replied nonchalantly, starting to become more confident in knowing that for once _he _was the nervous one (it sounds terrible, I know, but I don't have any other way of explaining it). "And anyways, after we resolve everything with her, I'll be officially out and proud. And you know what _that _means, remember?"

Kurt flinched at the mention of our deal. _"Not quite yet, lover boy. You have to be out and proud before we can start dating." _The memory flashed in my eyes and ears, and I was sure it did the same for him too. I smirked, knowing that he would soon become flustered, and lucky for me, _I _would get a front row seat to watch it live and in progress.

"I... uh, well I... I guess we can..." He started nervously, twitching in his seat. I leaned in closer to try and coax him into saying more when all of a sudden I felt a warm presence beneath my fingertips. We both turned to look down and gasp, the room falling completely silent. Even the sounds of laughter and clattering dishes from outside was muted. Hands. Touching hands. _Our _hands. Touching. We quickly pulled away but the warmth from him stayed with me.

"I guess, if you feel the plan goes successfully-" He stuttered, "I'll consider..."

And then, he waltzed out, quickly, might I add, while I slowly trailed behind. When he was out of earshot and pumped my fist a little and muttered a quick "yes!". I had just _totally _scored.

* * *

I took a deep breath as the car came to a stop in front of the rickety old house. _This used to be my home, _I thought, _Only yesterday, I lived here, but now... _I paused, realizing I didn't really know what this place was for me now. _I guess I'll just have to go inside and find out. _

As we approached the door I somehow managed to make my way from the back of the group to the front, and so by the time we reached the front stoop, it had become my job to ring the doorbell until Momma answered and subsequently shut us out. My finger missed the first time as I tried pressing the little button, my palms sweaty and my hands aching and twitching around. I took plenty of deep breaths and both William and Mr. Schue put their hands on each of my shoulders to keep me steady. And then...

...the door opened.

It was Brett who was standing in front of us though. And Anthony was perched nervously behind him. "Let us talk to Momma," William demanded coldly, something he rarely did to his little brothers. "Where is she?"

They both hesitated for a moment, but William's glare sent Anthony running up the stairs as fast as he could while Brett just stood their awkwardly. Eventually though, he stood at attention, like he was a soldier and his sergeant was approaching with heavy footfalls and a scowl on his face. And, as it turned out, that is _exactly _what Mother was like when she came down to greet us.

"What do you damned people want!" Her voice cracked like a whip as she stood in the doorway, staring at us. She brought her face up close to mine and breathed on it. She smelled like she'd been drinking, and I immediately began to pity my brothers that much more.

"Let us inside," William demanded. The two had a stare-down for a moment. But eventually, Mother turned around, and with a grunt, lead us to the archway leading into the living room while she stood in it, using her body to guard it from us.

"Now, I'm only gonna ask you ONE more time. WHAT do you BASTARDS WANT from me..." Mother had fallen back into her thick western accent again, the one she always got when she was drunk. Papa always told me it had to do with her childhood, but the first time I saw her under the influence, I couldn't even imagine how such a well-put-together looking lady like Momma could be so insane.

"Please Lisa," Papa began, making his way to the front of the crowd, "Take a seat on the couch. We need to talk to you."

Momma growled angrily at Papa's request. "There's no way in HELL you're gettin' into this here livin' room! It is where we celebrate Christmas and Easter and I am NOT lettin' a bunch of FAG ENABLERS in here to spoil the air."

At that point, I couldn't take it anymore. _This bitch, she used to be my mother. But not anymore. Not until she apologizes for what she just said. _"I've had ENOUGH of you!" I shouted angrily. The whole room went silent, including Momma. "How could you _do_ this, mother? Do you have no heart? I always thought you were such a nice woman, supporting my activities. Helping me to study. Teaching me values. But you're really just an incompetent brute who cares more about her religion than her own son! I know God loves me just the way I am, so I don't need YOU telling me otherwise!" After my rant, I took a few deep breaths, but they sounded like echoes across the grand canyon in such a silent space.

And then, well let's just say, the next sound we all heard was something that Papa, William and I had all heard before. The sound of skin slapping skin.

Momma had hit the same cheek as before, so her blow caused a little more impact. I was sure that this time it would leave a bruise. But this time, I wasn't going to run away. This time, I would be strong.

"Get out!" Momma shouted. "You fags get off my property NOW!" She huffed and puffed after shouting, which meant she was weakening by the second. Now was the time to be brave.

"Stay here everyone," I said, looking back to all my friends and family. They simultaneously nodded. "We won't leave until we know for sure that she's too stubborn to change."

After a few minutes of silence, we all decided (through a series of whispers and nods) to each give Momma a piece of our minds. "Why would anyone be against gay parenting-" Leroy began. Then Hiram picked up for him, "When we managed to raise such a talented and ambitious daughter?"

Next Mr. Schue and Rachel stepped up to the plate. "And why would you choose to ignore Dave's talents because of his sexuality?" They asked her.

Then, Strando spoke. "Not only is your son talented at singing, he's also great at sports. Are you going to throw that all away now that you know the truth?"

"I haven't," Azimio added boldly. I smiled thankfully at him as he continued. "Dave's been gay all along. And it doesn't change a thing. He's always been my best friend and he always will be!" Everyone in the cloud clapped, including me. His speech was so powerful, I could feel tears welling up in my eyes, but I couldn't let them flow free. I had to stay strong.

After that, Mr. Hummel announced that his love for his son was completely unconditional, and that having Kurt lie was much worse then not being able to handle the truth on his own. Then, Carole Hummel added that if she had been a homophobe, she probably never would have married Burt, who was now the love of her life. And finally, Finn finished it off by picking little Kurt up into his arms and declaring him the absolute greatest baby brother in the whole wide world. Applause erupted through the group, but there was one more person who needed to speak.

Kurt cleared his throat and then stepped to the front of the crowd. Before turning to face Mother in the eyes, he looked back towards me and mouthed the word "courage". I nodded to him, and smiling, I mouthed the same word back.

"Dave has come a long way from being a bully who everyone feared to being a talented gay jock who has true friends and a place where he belongs. Why would you not want those things for him? You're his _mother_!" Everyone cheered as Momma was taken aback by such a small boy having so much bravery. "If it were up to me, your son would be awarded a medal of honor just for standing here, let alone sticking up to the woman who gave birth to him! And I'm proud of him for that. He's your son, and I don't see why you have to make a choice between him and God. But since it seems you're willing to make that choice, who do you love more? Dave or God?"

Now this, this was _silence. _Completely and absolute. It was as if we had all been put in a vacum chamber. There was not a single sound. The refrigerator stopped humming. The fire stopped crackling. The wind stopped crashing into the walls from outside. The world around us had come to a complete stop, and so had mother. Her eyes got small, and her mouth closed tightly shut. Then, she clenched her fist and bowed her head to the ground.

"Take him," She said. "Take David away, Paul. He'll be happier this way." I could feel the energy in the room immediately turn positive. The air was lighter and easier to breathe in. I took a nice deep breath in to my nose and then let it out through my mouth. There was a little bit of talking, but for the most part, it was still pretty quiet. I noticed that Anthony and Brett were sitting at the bottom of the stairs, each of them with a suitcase.

"We wanna come with you," They told me and Papa as William filed everyone outside on to the lawn. Papa and I both smiled wide and took them into our arms. As I hugged Brett, I felt a wet droplet land on the back of my neck, where he had nestled himself. "I'm so sorry," He whispered weekly. I simply rubbed circles in his back, and from the warmth of my touch, he knew I had forgiven him.

When we had all made it outside, everyone cheered three good "Hip hip hoorays!" at our accomplishment. Suddenly, I felt someone tugging at the back of my shirt, and turned around to see Kurt there, smiling so wide with teeth so bright that they reflected the sun like an ancient death ray.

"I can't believe it Dave!" He shouted at me happily, "You were so courageous! Ohmygosh I'm so proud of you right now." And then, he hugged me. Like really, _really _hugged me. He leapt up into my arms (lucky for him I'd been working on my guns enough to be able to catch him) and wrapped his own scrawny arms around my neck. Then, he nuzzled his head into my chest and I couldn't help but nuzzle back just a little bit. He was so cute when he was excited! The way his eyes lit up and changed color, and the way his nose wrinkled and his cheeks got all red. He was just irresistible! We both giggled as we stood there, happier than we had ever been together. But of course, William just _had _to go and mess it up for me. And just when I was starting to score.

"Hey lovebirds," He smirked, walking over to us and drawing attention, "So, watcha up to? Has my little David finally managed to capture to heart of this young lad?" Kurt and I both blushed furiously and managed to untangle ourselves from each other in record time, making sure for the rest of the day that there was at _least _half a meter of space in between us at all times.

Little did I know, our whole relationship was about to change.

* * *

It was the following Monday. I was at my locker, doing usual locker-y things when all of a sudden, _he _shows up. "Breadstix, tonight. I'll pick you up at seven." He says to me in a flash, before I even have a chance to turn and face him.

"But why?" I asked him, stupidly of course. _Why would you ask him that, you idiot? Just go with it!_

He smiled seductively. "Because, you were really brave to confront your mom like that. And anyways, you're such a gentlemen I figured I could bug a free meal out of you." I laughed at his smugness. He never really changed since we first met. "And also," Kurt continued, "Azimio and Strando told me about your gym membership. Stop going. It's a waste of your money. You look perfectly good."

"Uh, thanks," I stuttered, looking down at my hands. _I can't believe he'd compliment __**me**__! And about my body, too! _"So, seven?"

"Seven," He nodded. Then he strutted away, blowing me a kiss as he disappeared down another hallway.

"Oh dear god," I said to myself, shaking in my boots. The realization had finally hit me and I was officially scared to death. "What the hell am I gonna wear!"

* * *

"This is the weirdest dinner ever," I laughed, surveying me and Kurt's table. We had ordered a plate of spaghetti with meatballs and one giant strawberry-banana smoothie to drink. "I didn't even know you could get this here." I poked a little at the smoothie with my straw, while he leaned over and sipped through the other one. When he came back up, he smiled at me.

"Well, I was really craving a smoothie. But _you're _the one who ordered the pasta," He giggled, blaming our weird meal on me.

"Hey," I shot back playfully, "I just thought it'd be romantic."

"How?" He laughed. I grinned at him one last time, then ducked my head down to table-level. Then, I brought the tip of my nose up to a loose meatball, and with as much precision as I could muster, I managed to push it over to Kurt's side of the plate.

"Just like Lady and the Tramp," He swooned. But the mood was ruined when he let out a fit of giggles at the end. "Oh Dave. We're so silly!" I laughed along too, until I noticed something. Slowly and carefully, as Kurt continued to chuckle, I lifted up my napkin to his cheek. Just as I was about to wipe, he froze. Perfect. I used the cloth gently, wiping it slowly down his soft baby face until I could dab it at the corner of his mouth and clean it up.

"You had smoothie on your cheek," I said softly. And that was the moment that I realized I was on a date. Because Kurt's expression clearly read _boyfriend material is sitting in front of me. _My breath quickened as we both leaned in over the table. I could still feel the napkin drop from my lazy grip, but I was too numb to reach for it again. Instead, my hand came magically back up to Kurt's cheek. I cupped it as if he were a baby, and used my fingers to stroke it gently. Then we both leaned in. It was magnetic, almost, the way our lips were attracted to each other. We were polar opposites but in reality, that made us connect on an even deeper level. _Dave, just shut up and kiss him! Stop being so deep, _I told myself. Taking the final plunge, I leaned in that extra inch that caused our lips to collide. _He's so warm, _I thought, savoring the taste and feel of his lips, _And his lips are so wet. They taste like strawberries and vanilla and they are oh so soft. _An electrifying jolt ran up my spine when Kurt suddenly grabbed my cheek, forcing me to gasp in surprise. He used this opportunity to stick his tongue in my open mouth and explore it. At first, I thought it would be fun to get rough. But in the end, I decided -as our tongues finally met- to be gentle and stroke him softly as he made his way around my mouth. Our kiss was soon deep and wet and was lasting for quite a long time. I could feel people's eyes on both of our backs, but for the first time, I didn't care. _This stupid, close-minded world can just suck it because Dave Karofsky's got a boyfriend and to hell if I don't show the little guy off to everyone. _I smiled at the thought of parading Kurt around town to show everyone what a little angel he was and explain to them my luck and good fortune that he would be there for me. I sighed happily into our kiss as more thoughts of our relationship crossed my mind. _I can't believe it. This. Is. Real. _

As the kiss broke, we both smiled and just sat there, gazing into each other's eyes. "So... are we dating now?" I asked shyly, breaking the silence. Kurt just nodded his head and then bashfully looked down into his lap, hiding his blush. And that's when I got the perfect idea. "Tomorrow morning, we're going to walk down the hall together, holding hands. And if people ask why, instead of telling them that I'm gay, I'm just going to tell them that I'm showing off my wonderful new boyfriend."

"Oh Dave," He swooned, getting up out of his seat. He came over to my side of the booth and sat down in my lap, kissing my chin and then putting his finger up to my chest. "Let's finish dinner up and go back to my house for a little... _privacy_."

* * *

"Oh Kurt," I moaned as we wrestled about his bed, kissing each other hungrily and aggressively and gripping each other so hard I thought we'd never be able to come apart. Suddenly, Kurt stopped me, and had me sit down criss-cross applesauce in the center of his bed. Then, he came down seductively on to my lap, rutting his groin up against my stomach. "Ohhhh..." I growled, taking both my huge hands and slowly snaking them down Kurt's back. Then, nervous as ever, I took one palm and slowly cupped it around Kurt's right butt cheek. He gasped quickly, then starting attacking my neck with kisses. I took it as a sign I was doing something right and decided to repeat the action with my other hand. He groaned in lust again, and as his lips came back up to my own mouth, I started squeezing his plump little ass-cheeks even more. _I can't believe it! _I thought happily as Kurt continued whining and moaning with each pinch, _I'm actually getting to touch Kurt Hummel's butt! And he likes it!_ As I repeatedly grasped his bottom, Kurt rhythmically thrust his now hardened groin into my own, making me cry out for more too. As my sweating got worse, and my pants got more fierce, I thought I might actually even climax.

But of course, nothing can be _perfect_.

"Hey Kurt," greeted a familiar voice as none other than _Burt Hummel_ swung open the door and stepped into the room, "I didn't think you'd be back from your movie date with Mercedes so early-" Mr. Hummel froze in his tracks as he finally saw what his son was up to. I was sure that if _I _had been Kurt's father, I would have been horrified at the sight before me. There was his son, sitting in the lap of another, larger, scarier boy, who was kissing him with tongue _and _had his hands on his son's butt, while his son rutted his hard-on up against the other boy's stomach. _Oh boy!_

"Kurt, Dave," He began, so calm is was actually kinda creepy, "Can we _talk _for a minute?"

* * *

_**OMG I'M SO SORRY THAT IT TOOK ME SEVERAL MONTHS, BUT IT IS FINALLY FINISHED! HOZAH! (as professor Farnsworth would say). Final contest. The winner of the last one was The Raisin Girl, mostly because her name is THE RAISIN GIRL for Gaga's sake, but also because she answered correctly with MIKA and The Boy Who Knew Too Much. Also she listed all her favorite songs, and called Mika, as well as my story, borderline amazing. Which gives her bonus points. **_

_**Another thing that gives Raisin Girl bonus points is that SHE is borderline amazing. here is she: [.net/u/2585367/The_Raisin_Girl]. I especially liked Reflection on Wild Geese by Mary Oliver. That one was nice and angsty and just plain good writing. Apparently, she's also a beta (which I had yet to notice because I am stoopid). So yeah, that too. **_

_**Anyways, final contest: what song PERFORMED IN SEASON ONE has the line "hands, touching hands." You all know this, but I just want something for you to comment about besides my crappy ending that took way too long to start writing. Seriously, I started writing this chapter on June 26. No joke. I'm a total lazy-ass. **_

_**So yeah, I might rewrite this part when someone wins or if I feel like I forgot something. Bye (until I get a three-quel out).**_

_**favorite + review = LOVE (*sniffle* no more story alerts!)**_

_**~Sea Pig ^_^**_

_**P.S. Sorry if there are any mistakes. And please, if you have the time, correct me!**_

_**P.P.S. If you have any good titles for a three-quel that have to do with numbers and the sky (or not), please leave those in the comments too. Thanks a whole chunk!**_ _**~Sea Pig ^_^**_


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